The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage
by KingBlue10
Summary: After the destruction caused by Pein, Konoha was left in need of a new Hokage. A new age was dawning on the village, the age of the Rokudaime Hokage Naruto Uzumaki. Join Naruto's adventures as the sixth and youngest Hokage in Konoha's history. Rated M for Swearing, Violence and Adult References.
1. A New Age

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, unfortunately**

 **Author's Note: Sorry for everyone's wait with my re-written version, but viola here it is. I'd like to thank everyone's patience and understanding along with the feedback being given to me. As you known this is my first ever story and quite frankly English is also not my native language so please go easy on me. For those who read the original version, this first chapter is a combination of my first two chapters before i re-wrote my story.** **As usual any form of constructive criticism and advice is more than welcome here, and finally I hope you all enjoy my story. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Age**

"I will break the curse. If there is such a thing as peace then I will find it. I won't give up"

Those words resounded with Nagato as he looked into the cerulean eyes of the blonde and whiskered young man in front of him.

As Naruto stood in front of him he no longer saw him as an enemy, instead he saw him as a symbol of his past. He could not believe the words Naruto boldly declared, those were the same words he too uttered during his earlier days. But now it came from the mouth of the man who had just defeated him in combat earlier today.

He was soon broken out of his thoughts once Naruto spoke again, "Believe in me! I will become the Hokage, and I will make sure that there will be peace in your home Amegakure as well".

The room was silent, Nagato and Konan couldn't help but be reminded of Yahiko when they saw the young man in front of him, but for Nagato not only was he reminded of his deceased friend but he was also reminded of the man he used to be.

"We studied under the same master, I told you before that we should therefore be able to understand one another. I must admit you're an odd kid and you even remind me of myself when I was younger, I was just joking then but you chose a different path, in you I can see a different future. I will believe in you Naruto Uzumaki" he confessed calmly as both Naruto and Konan looked at the Rinnegan wielder with equally surprised looks.

Nagato then began to form hand seals, Konan's eyes widened as she saw the technique her old friend had planned on using, "Nagato, that's enough. Please don't do this" she pleaded.

Nagato's expression softened as he saw Konan's desperation, he knew this was to be expected. They were the remaining members of the Ame Orphans ever since Yahiko died. He knew the technique he planned on doing would kill him thus leaving Konan as the sole surviving member of the three.

"Konan, I'm sorry but this is something I must do. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and this is my way of repenting for my crimes" he confessed but that did nothing to make Konan feel any better, instead tears began to well up in her eyes as she knew there was no changing his mind.

In the back Naruto looked on confused at the argument the two old friends had, "What is this technique?" he asked.

Konan looked towards Naruto as she dried her tears using her Akatsuki cloak, "Nagato is the seventh and final Pein. His power is ability to control both life and death" she explained sadly.

Naruto was absolutely shocked at the power Nagato held with his Rinnegan, but he was also confused. He was unaware of what Nagato's technique could do, all he knew was that in the end it would cost him his own life. As he glanced towards Nagato he saw the man smiling down on him.

"I knew I was going to die one day but quite frankly I never thought it would be like this, before I die Naruto I will give you one final piece of advice"

Naruto looked at Nagato as he listened towards the advice of a dying man, "Naruto, with my attack in the village I have no doubt in my mind that Danzo may use this as an opportunity to take power in Konoha. The man is power-hungry and opportunistic, you must stop him at all costs from becoming Hokage or else there will be dire consequences" he informed Naruto as the young man nodded.

Nagato smiled, he was assured that his fellow student will heed his advice, "Naruto, I know you will do what neither I nor Yahiko or Jiraiya-sensei could not. I have full belief that you will be the one to bring peace to the shinobi world as the true Child of Prophecy"

Naruto couldn't help but smile at the words of Nagato, he nodded at the man to assure him that he will finish what he, Yahiko and Jiraiya started. He will complete their goal and their dream to bring forth an era of peace to the shinobi world.

With that final piece of assurance Nagato begun to perform the hand seals required for his technique, " **Gedō — Rinne Tensei no Jutsu** " he yelled. Once Nagato begun the technique he was quickly losing his life force, he was growing more and more pale each second and he was continually losing weight also.

Naruto watched in shock at how the jutsu was affecting Nagato, then from his pocket emerged the main slug summon Katsuyu. "The villagers are all being revived" she informed Naruto in shock.

Naruto was surprised at the news, he looked at Nagato and was amazed by the man's actions, he now held a new sense of respect for the man but he also watched as he sacrificed his own life force to bring back the ones of those he killed.

Konan looked on to her friend sadly, once the technique was done she ran over to Nagato's side. She checked his vitals, he was alive but barely, she was aware that at this point he only had a minute at most before he departed for the afterlife.

Nagato looked up towards Konan's teary face as his head was placed gently on top of her lap, he smiled at the lavender haired woman. Nagato then begun to cough blood as he sensed that his time was close at hand, but before he died he wished to talk to Konan one final time.

"Konan, I can now die without any regrets. I know peace will come but this time by the hands of Naruto, I guess my role in all this is over. I'll make sure to tell Yahiko that you said hi, maybe now I could keep him company. We'll be waiting for your arrival but we'd prefer it if you would take your time" he said before finally closing his eyes.

Konan held Nagato close to her, she released all of her pent up emotions ever since the death of Yahiko, in this one moment she felt a mixture of anger, guilt, sadness and even happiness. Despite her being the final surviving member of the Ame orphans, one look at Nagato's face she could see that he died with a smile on his face, a smile that showed her that he was finally happy. Her conflicted friend was finally at peace with himself and the world.

Naruto walked over and placed an arm around the older woman in order to comfort her as they both grieved for their losses.

* * *

 **Konoha**

Back in the village of Konoha, the King of Hell appeared in the middle of the crater and the people of the village looked down in fear wondering what it was about to do. They prepared for the worse as it began to open its large mouth, unknown to them the King of Hell released the life force of the people deceased in the village. Little by little the life force of the deceased returned to their bodies as they woke up from what appeared to be their death.

The people of Konoha looked in shock as their loved ones and friends began to resurrect in front of them, among the crowd Shima cried tears of joy as she hugged her newly revived husband Fukasaku.

Everyone looked in awe as the people of Konoha were revived, they wondered what could have caused all this, later on Katsuyu began to inform them all of Naruto's encounter with Nagato and all of Konoha rejoiced and celebrated the name of their new saviour and hero, Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Meanwhile at the same time in an area between life and death Kakashi sat by a campfire alongside his deceased father, Sakumo Hatake.

"It seems you've had your own fair share of trouble son" said the elder Hatake.

Kakashi sighed, "I guess you could say that" he replied.

"I admit Kakashi, I never thought we'd both die so young. But not as young as your mother"

The two continued to sit in silence for a few moments, "Regardless of everything that happened you did everything you could. It took me a long time but I soon learned to understand things from your point of view, you broke the rules for all of our sakes. I'm proud of you now, and I'm proud to be known as your son" Kakashi said sincerely as Sakumo looked at his son with widened eyes.

Then out of nowhere a blue light began to engulf Kakashi, he was nervous as to what was happening but as he saw his father the elder man only had a smile on his face, Sakumo was more than aware of what was happening to his son and he couldn't be happier, he would be given a second chance.

"Goodbye my son, I hope you find the peace you seek for much like how I just did. I'm also proud to be known as your father and I love you Kakashi" Sakumo said he looked at his son disappearing right in front of him. Once Kakashi was gone Sakumo stood up from his seat by the campfire, he kicked dirt towards the fire to exterminate it and once that was over he began to walk towards an unknown direction.

'It looks like I finally get to see you again, you would be so proud of our son' he thought to himself as he walked towards the lone beacon of light within the area filled with darkness.

While Sakumo made his way towards the light Kakashi woke up to see Choji helping him up, he looked at his surrounding with widened eyes. At one point he was dead and now he was among the living once more, "What happened?" he asked Choji.

The heir of the Akimichi clan merely smiled at the masked Jonin, "Naruto happened" he told the man as Kakashi looked at the large man in surprise. His expression soon turned to one of pride upon hearing how his student managed to now become the hero and saviour of the village, just like his father Minato.

He was stood up albeit gingerly, he was helped by Choji but then Kakashi separated from the Chunin.

"Thanks for the help Choji but I need to go" he said, before Choji could reply Kakashi already left in a hurry in search of his blonde student.

* * *

 **Mount Myoboku**

The Great Toad Sage looked at his crystal ball as he watched the conversation of Jiraiya's two former pupils while at the same time tending to Gamabunta's wounds.

"As it was foretold" he muttered with amazement.

"What's going on!?" Gamabunta asked.

"It's over Gamabunta, Naruto succeeded" he answered with a smile on his face.

Gamabunta looked over at the elder toad in surprise, he then smiled at the news of Naruto's success. 'First it was Jiraiya and then Minato, I wonder how you will hold up compared to those two' Gamabunta wondered with a grin on his face.

* * *

Konan began to wrap the bodies of both Yahiko and Nagato with her paper, she looked on sadly but she knew that wherever the two were, they were both happy, she hoped Jiraiya too found his happiness as well, she regretted how things ended with their sensei and she wished that he would one day forgive her and Nagato for their foolishness.

Naruto watched as Konan wrapped the bodies of both Nagato and Yahiko with her paper.

"So what are you going to do now? I doubt you'll be returning to the Akatsuki" he said.

Konan glanced towards Naruto and gave him an reassuring smile, "I'm done with the Akatsuki, Nagato and Yahiko were everything to me and without them I no longer see a purpose for the group" she admitted.

"Nagato and Yahiko's dreams have been entrusted to you, you are now the bearer of both of their dreams and if Nagato decides to believe in you then so will I. Amegakure will help you with your dream, if you should ever need help just contact me. From now on I will continue our other dream, to protect Amegakure" Konan continued.

Naruto was surprised at the answer of the woman in front of him, "That's good to hear Konan-san".

"I believe it's time for Amegakure to have its first Amekage since the unfortunate reign of the madman Hanzo, remember if you should ever need help do not hesitate to contact me"

Naruto nodded and Konan handed him a bouquet of flowers made from her paper, "This time I pray for you that these will be the flowers of hope that will never die"

Konan then began to fade away as she carried the two bodies alongside her. He smiled at the thought of her becoming the new Kage of her village, he believed that she will be the right person to lead Amegakure away from their bloody past into a new era.

He looked towards the sky and breathed out a sigh of relief, it was all finally over and he was utterly exhausted. As he gazed towards the sky he couldn't help but remember the times he spent with his sensei Jiraiya. As he continued to think about his sensei tears unknowingly cascaded down his face.

He remembered both his regrets and fondest memories with Jiraiya, 'Arigato Jiraiya-sensei' he silently told himself as he continued to stare up at the sky. He decided it was time for him to show his sensei the respect he deserved, and although he was a super pervert Jiraiya was still one of the greatest men Naruto had the pleasure of meeting.

This was one of Naruto's greatest regrets when it came to his deceased master, he never managed to show how much he truly respected Jiraiya as a man and as a shinobi. He would never again call Jiraiya by the moniker of Ero-Sennin, now he decided it was time for him to be referred by the title he truly deserved as Jiraiya-sensei.

He realized that he appeared to be bratty when it came to Jiraiya and even both Tsunade and the Sandaime Hokage, he decided it was time to change that part of his attitude. Naruto never truly knew what he had until it was gone, he decides never to make that same mistake again.

After a few more minutes of silent mourning Naruto decided it was time to return home, he quickly stood up with his wobbly legs, the fight and conversation he had with Nagato truly left him in an exhausted state, but he pushed through as he ran across the forests around the Land of Fire to return to his village.

Naruto continued to walk towards the dense forest outside of Konoha, due to his stress he accidentally stumbled but before he could fall flat on his face he felt someone catch him. As he opened his eyes he realized it was none other than his sensei Kakashi, he smiled to know that Nagato truly did revive the people of Konoha, he had just lost Jiraiya and he could not handle losing his other sensei.

"Good job" Kakashi told Naruto as he carried him on his back, the message may have been short but Naruto knew from the tone Kakashi used that he was proud of him.

"Just hang on" Kakashi told Naruto as he ran towards the village, soon the two arrive to the front of the village only to find how the people of Konoha gathered to await his arrival, and upon seeing their new hero all of Konoha cheered for Naruto.

"They've all been waiting for your return" Kakashi informed his student, Naruto looked in surprise as he jumped off Kakashi's back. He walked into the large crowd and everyone gathered around him in order to congratulate him on his victory and to thank him for his selfless actions.

Children also flocked to Naruto and they each asked him questions concerning his encounter with Pein, among the crowd Iruka, Ebisu and Konohamaru looked down happily at the realization of Naruto's dream to be acknowledged by the village.

Iruka reminisced about his past with Naruto and how the happy-go-lucky ninja managed to grow to be one of Konoha's greatest heroes. Towards the back of the large crowd Fukasaku and Shima also watched happily as Naruto was finally given the respect he deserved.

Near the front of the group Hinata watched teary-eyed as she saw her crush survive his battle against Pein, 'Thank Kami you're safe Naruto-kun' she thought happily as she wiped away her tears.

While Naruto was answering the questions of the children around him he noticed a certain pink haired Kunoichi approaching his direction, "Sakura-chan" he said with a wide smile on his face.

His smile quickly disappeared as she hit him on the head with her chakra enhanced fist, "Why do you always have to be so rash you idiot".

He winced in pain but it would not last as the feeling of pain was soon replaced by a feeling of comfort and warmth. He could barely utter a word when he realized that she was hugging him, he returned the gesture and they basked in each other's warmth.

The crowd watched at the display of affection shown by both Naruto and Sakura, everyone smiled at the hug, nearly everyone was aware about the friendship and connection the two ninjas had with one another.

"Thank you" Sakura whispered in Naruto's ear, Naruto smiled but also felt a pain in his heart. This was everything he always wanted but yet he had a feeling this was nothing more than a friendly gesture, despite his love for Sakura he believed that her love was reserved for Sasuke.

Naruto couldn't help but feel sadness and jealousy at the thought of Sakura being with Sasuke, but he decided a long time ago that he will not stand in the way of Sakura's happiness, he loved her too much for him to interfere.

'I'm probably just overthinking this hug, she probably still loves the teme' Naruto thought bitterly, Naruto as much as he loved Sakura however will not get in her way between her happiness, if her happiness was with Sasuke then he will bear a heavy heart but accept it. He had no choice in the matter, he was too selfless for his own good.

Soon the two separated and both had blushed adorning their faces, Naruto smiled as he saw Sakura's flustered state, he only wished that maybe one day she could reciprocate the feelings he had for her.

Naruto then shook his head from the depressing thoughts, he decided there was no need for such sadness. He smiled once more at the people and they all decided to celebrate the fact that Konoha survives once again, even with the most unfortunate circumstances the village and its community always seems to stand stronger than ever.

* * *

As the people of Konoha celebrated they didn't notice a spy within their midst. Up in the trees overlooking the village, a man who resembled a Venus fly trap looked down in shock at the events which played out before him.

"I never thought Pein would be defeated, I must return and inform Madara-sama" he muttered before vanishing into the ground.

* * *

During the celebrations of Konoha Naruto looked on confused, he was accompanied by both Sakura and Kakashi during this event.

"Sakura-chan, where's Tsunade?" he asked the pink haired Kunoichi, both Sakura and Kakashi were surprised to hear that Naruto didn't call her Baa-chan.

Sakura then looked towards Naruto with a frown on her face, "Naruto, she's in her own personal tent. She's in a coma, she used Katsuyu to protect the whole village, and she hasn't woken up ever since. I don't know when she will be back on her feet again".

Naruto looked at her with a devastated expression, "Please Sakura-chan, take me to her!" he asked. Sakura nodded and led Naruto and Kakashi to the tent Tsunade was held at, upon entering they noticed Tsunade caring after the last remaining Sannin.

Shizune was surprised to see the three visitors, "Could everyone please give me a second with Tsunade?" Naruto asked seriously, the three nodded and respected Naruto's demand.

Naruto walked over to the bed where Tsunade laid, he managed to get a closer look at the woman and he gasped at what he saw.

The Tsunade he saw appeared weak, fragile and wrinkled, this was a far cry from the strong, beautiful woman he knew. He was saddened to see the state she was in, he held one of her hands and prayed to kami that she pull through this.

"I already lost Jiraiya-sensei, I can't lose you too. Please keep fighting" he told her, but as he saw the state Tsunade was in he suddenly remembered Nagato's words of advice to him

This could prove to be an opportunity for Danzo to take over as the next Hokage, he clenched his fist and realized the dirty and underhanded tactics Danzo could use; he could use the invasion as an attack towards Tsunade's reputation and character.

He would not allow this and he would not allow Danzo to become Hokage, he glanced towards Tsunade once more and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"Tsunade, by the time you wake up there will be a new Hokage, and there is no way in hell it's going to be that Danzo-teme" Naruto assured her with a confident tone on his voice.

* * *

 **War Council Room**

A few days pass, and at this point in time within the Hokage Monument was a secret conference room in which a meeting was taking place, a meeting that would determine the future of the village and its people.

Inside the room was a moderately large conference table, at the head of it sat the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and on the right side of the daimyo sat the highest ranking members of Konoha's ninja society. First were the three elders of Konoha, the three were none other than Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane and Danzo Shimura, further along were the ANBU Commander known as Bear, and the Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara. On their opposite side sat the five advisors of the Daimyo.

There was a tense and uncomfortable silence within the council room until Homura broke the silence, "Daimyo-sama, we still plan on continuing our efforts to work with the other countries to deal with the terrorist threat known as Akatsuki".

Then one of the Daimyo's financial advisors then said "With the recent events concerning the village, Land of Fire will do anything within our capabilities to help rebuild Konoha. But before then we need to set up a budget and consider the strain on the other countries".

Danzo was not at all impressed with the current topic at hand, sensing his opportunity he interjected and declared "This is currently the least of our concerns. What we need now is leadership and with Tsunade's coma we are lacking in that department. I say we need a new Hokage".

'So Danzo, it has come to this' Shikaku thought as he eyed the old war hawk, he expected tactics such as this from the man and he was not the least bit surprised considering the fact that Danzo has been trying unsuccessfully for years to make himself the Hokage of Konoha.

The room was now dead silent, the thought of electing a new Hokage was rather unimaginable at this point, "Couldn't we simply wait for Tsunade-sama to awaken from her coma?" asked the Daimyo.

"Unfortunately my lord Danzo is right, without a Hokage we are unable to make decisions concerning the village, besides Tsunade-sama is also held accountable to the destruction of our village" answered Koharu with a straight face.

The Daimyo nodded his head in understanding, he placed his right hand across his chin and adopted a thinking pose as he stated "I would personally love to have Jiraiya as the Rokudaime Hokage but as we know he had just unfortunately passed away a month ago".

Danzo then saw another opportunity to appoint himself in power, but with Shikaku being as aware and attentive as he was, noticed the gleam in Danzo's lone visible eye and before Danzo could nominate himself Shikaku decided to intervene, "I nominate Kakashi Hatake" he said.

The Daimyo smiled and was impressed with this nomination, the name Kakashi Hatake was one that was known far and wide as the man was renowned for being a once in a generation talent the likes of Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha.

"Oho the son of the White Fang, eh? Why Not? What do you all think?" asked the Daimyo, murmurs and whispers then erupted among the council room as they thoroughly discussed the candidacy of the legendary Copy Nin for the Hokage position.

"He is well-known, powerful, and respected that's all true but he is also very young" mentioned one of the advisors.

Shikaku was not at all affected, "The Yondaime was even younger" he answered.

Another advisor then spoke and asked another question, "Who was his teacher?"

Shikaku smirked, everything was falling into place and working against Danzo, "The Yondaime Hokage" he answered causing the advisors to further adopt a more impressed opinion on the young grey haired Jonin.

Among the visitors none were more impressed than the Daimyo himself, "Kakashi Hatake, a student of the Yondaime who in turn was a student of Jiraiya, while Jiraiya was a student of the Sandaime, what a fine lineage. What an excellent choice" he declared with an excited smile on his face.

Upon hearing those words Danzo snapped and banged his hand on the table, "The Sandaime and his teachings are the reason Konoha is in the state it is today" he boldly declared.

The room was now dead silent once more, all eyes were now directed towards Danzo himself for his shocking statement, as he noticed their attention all being directed to him, he cleared his throat and confidently eyed each and every member of the council.

Danzo calmed himself before speaking once again, "Allow me to explain, Konoha is a shell of what it once was, we as a village fail to reach the potential we hold and it is due to this excessive belief in the Will of Fire. This belief and ideology was formed by the first two Hokages and preached by the Sandaime, this belief has done nothing but weaken our ninjas. A ninja should be cold, calculating and ruthless, there should be no room for forgiveness, pity or weakness, those only lead to betrayals and opportunities for our enemies to strike us down when we least expect it" he claimed.

"Surely you don't believe that Danzo-sama?" pleadingly asked one of the advisors as Danzo turned his attention to the man, he shook his head in disappointment.

"The ninja world is simple, kill or be killed. I assure all of you that if given the chance Kumo, Iwa and Kiri would jump at the opportunity to rid themselves of us, even Suna and Otogakure could attack us at any moment, Suna has betrayed us before and there is nothing stopping them from doing so once more, while for Otogakure they were ruled by Orochimaru he has banded with Suna to attack us before causing the death of the Sandaime. We live in a cruel world everyone, and as a man who has taken part in and survived countless wars I assure you this is the true life of a ninja" he continued as they stared at him with a mixture of fear, awe and with some even feeling disdain for the man.

'Danzo is a paranoid madman' thought Shikaku as he gritted his teeth in annoyance concerning the man's speech and views.

"What we need is a strong, calculating and daring Hokage, and I assure each of you that I am that man, I will be the man that will make Konoha great once more, for too long we have been downgraded towards being the laughing stock of the five nations, we were nearly defeated by Orochimaru and his forces while also being single-handedly destroyed by Pein, interestingly enough it is well known that Orochimaru was a former student of the Sandaime, but I also have knowledge that Pein was a former student of none other than the deceased Jiraiya" claimed Danzo as the eyes in the council room widened upon hearing that revelation. Soon there were murmurs and whispers once more this time concerning Danzo's points, they were now appearing to be more and more relevant with their current situation.

As Danzo saw this he released a small smirk, everything was going according to plan and all he needed now was the icing on the cake, "My fellow councilmen, I promise to make Konoha a name to be feared once more. No longer will we be ridiculed and disrespected, the time for that is over, the rise of Konoha is close at hand once more and I plan to lead that revolution. With that in mind, I nominate myself for…." Before Danzo could finish his statement the doors of the room were barged open as a figure suddenly yelled "Stop! This man must not be named Hokage" while pointing a finger to Danzo in an accusing manner.

The attention of the council members suddenly shifted from Danzo to the doors, as they glanced towards that direction the Daimyo and the advisors were confused as to who the intruder was, meanwhile the ninjas of Konoha quickly recognized him as the village's hero, Naruto Uzumaki.

Upon seeing another intrusion but this being in the form of the village hero, Danzo gritted his teeth and attempted to calm his increasing anger, meanwhile Homura quickly rose from his seat, "How did you find this place, this is off limits, leave now or you could be punished severely" he angrily declared.

Naruto didn't flinch nor back down despite the volume of his voice, "I managed to find this area due to my Senjutsu's sensory abilities Homura-san, once I saw the Daimyo arrive in the front gates of Konoha I had a feeling that Danzo would pull something like this" did he answer calmly. The Daimyo was intrigued and curious about this new character, "Excuse me young man but who might you be?" he asked.

The Daimyo was intrigued and curious about this new character, "Excuse me young man but who might you be?" he asked.

Naruto looked the Daimyo in the eye and bowed slightly, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Daimyo-sama" he said.

The Daimyo's initial interest in the intruder significantly increased as he was now identified as the so-called Hero of Konoha, upon his arrival in Konoha he has heard of his exploits and quite frankly he was surprised to see someone so young managed to accomplish the feats he has done.

"I apologize for my initial intrusion Daimyo-sama but I am here for one simple reason, Danzo Shimura must not be Hokage" said Naruto as the Daimyo raised a single eyebrow due to confusion.

"Oh, and who should be the Hokage Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto cleared his throat and stood up confidently for what he was about to say next, "With all due respect Daimyo-sama, I Naruto Uzumaki nominate myself for the position of Rokudaime Hokage."

This statement further added to the surprise of all the council members present, Naruto noticed the looks he was being given, they bordered mostly towards confusion, disbelief and reluctance, he could see it in their eyes, they didn't think he was worthy of the job, at least not yet.

"I implore you Daimyo-sama, do not be tricked by Danzo, the man is not worthy of the position of Hokage, he will sully the names and legacies of those who paved the way for him and future generations, I would rather die than see this man be chosen as Hokage" Naruto exclaimed bravely.

The Daimyo's was curious towards Naruto's views, he was unsure as to why he felt so strongly about all of this. "Why is that exactly Uzumaki-san? What do you have against Danzo-san?" he asked demanding for answers.

Naruto sighed as he glared at Danzo, his mind was conflicted at the moment, on one hand he was well aware of Danzo's shady dealings in the past, one of which being with Hanzo thus leading to the birth of the Akatsuki, but if he did accuse him of those past transgressions without the necessary evidence in front of him then his own credibility may suffer. He instead decided to attempt to convince the Daimyo using other methods, he hoped they work.

"Daimyo-sama, Danzo's beliefs contradict everything Konoha and the past Hokages have stood for, the Will of Fire is no weakness; it is a strength, form of ideology and belief which the Shodai Hokage, Nidaime Hokage, Sandaime Hokage and Yondaime Hokage died for. If we appoint Danzo as Hokage along with his beliefs, it is as if we are spitting on the grave of the past Hokages themselves, Danzo's ideal form of society for Konoha would be a disgrace and a blatant sign of disrespect towards our past heroes" he declared quite proudly as a few council members nodded their head in agreement.

Danzo snorted after hearing Naruto's explanation, "This is what I mean Daimyo-sama; this delusional and idealistic belief in the Will of Fire has led to us being weak and exposed, it has led us to nothing but destruction and humiliation for Konoha. Need I also remind you that Hiruzen spared Orochimaru when he was initially discovered to have been conducting illegal experiments? Had it been me I would not have had any hesitation to strike down Orochimaru, but due to Hiruzen's compassion we were soon attacked and embarrassed by the snake himself, especially during his joint attack with Suna, it is clear to all of us that I am the Hokage Konoha needs, a Hokage not afraid to instill fear into the hearts of our enemies, if I am chosen Konoha will not be subjugated by easily avoidable tragedies and mishaps such as the Orochimaru incident" he rebutted passionately.

The Daimyo raised a hand to silence Danzo, his interest in Naruto was increasing, he glanced towards Naruto once more, "Tell me Naruto, who were your teachers?" asked the Fire Daimyo with calculating eyes.

"Kakashi Hatake had been my Jonin sensei, and I was also the apprentice of Jiraiya of the Sannin, Daimyo-sama" answered Naruto as the Daimyo and his advisors nodded clearly impressed with his background. The council members nodded at both arguments for their case to be Hokage, each had valid points but at this point in time the advisors were recommending Danzo due to his experience and reputation among the five nations, two things Naruto seemed to lack.

Naruto noticed this quite easily and he glanced towards Danzo only to see the man appear to lift his head triumphantly, with no other choice Naruto decided to have one final argument against Danzo.

He closed his eyes and breathed in to calm himself, once he opened them again he addressed the council with a passion and bravado common to him and him alone.

"Compassion, understanding and peace are not weaknesses Daimyo-sama, they are strengths. I must confess to you all about my final conversation with the man you all know as Pein, but a man I know as Nagato, if I had the same beliefs as Danzo I probably would have killed the man when I had the chance, but I didn't, I stuck to my morals and spoke with the man to understand his side of the story. In the end he told me of his life and his hardships, I could understand why he took the path he did but I managed to make him trust in me, and that is why we now see the people he initially killed in his attack revived by the same man himself, he wished to atone for his sins and because of that ninjas such as Choza Akimichi, Shizune and Kakashi Hatake were brought back to life. It was my belief in understanding and attaining peace that I managed to convince him to repent. He left me his dream to bring peace to the shinobi world, and I intend to do just that as the Child of Prophecy"

The Fire Daimyo sat down in his chair and acquired a thinking pose, both candidates had logical and strong arguments for their case. The Daimyo weighed the pros and cons in his head concerning both candidates, after assessing the situation in his mind he had come to acquire a decision, but before then he wanted to know the opinions of the other members within the table.

One of his advisors was the first to express his opinion, "Daimyo-sama in my humble opinion I believe Danzo-san is the correct choice in this situation, not to say that Uzumaki-san is not fit to be Hokage but rather he is not fit to be Hokage yet, I believe Danzo is the logical choice for the Rokudaime Hokage but we could place Uzumaki-san in training to be Hokage, I believe he is a better candidate for the Nanadaime position instead".

The Daimyo nodded taking his considerations into account, another advisor then piled on to the analysis, "I agree with him Daimyo-sama, Naruto-san is still sixteen years old, Danzo is in his later years and he has a vaster amount of life experience, he is also more well-equipped to handle the duties of the Hokage rather than Naruto-san, and although Naruto-san's skill level is at the Kage level, so is Danzo's. All in all I believe that Naruto-san is too raw and unrefined, he has the potential to be an excellent Hokage for the future but I do not believe he is ready to be Hokage at such an early age" he added on as Naruto began to look less and less confident whereas Danzo was complete opposite.

"Any more opinions on the matter?" asked the Daimyo, Shikaku raised his hand and he was allowed to speak by the Daimyo.

"Personally I believe we should choose Naruto as Hokage, I understand all your worries about the young man's experience and maturity but I assure you that Naruto is among the hardest workers I have ever seen and he could easily adapt himself into any situation. He is a resilient and determined young man and I fully believe he has what it takes to be a great Hokage" said Shikaku surprising the council members, they had not expected one of the men with highest IQs in Konoha to side with the young man. Meanwhile Naruto looked towards Shikaku with a grateful smile, the Nara clan head nodded to Naruto signifying his belief in the young man.

The blonde Jinchuuriki seemed to have calmed down due to Shikaku's vote of confidence, sensing that all opinions have already been discussed the Daimyo decided it was time to announce his decision. Naruto then began to sweat nervously, this was do or die for him, if he was chosen then he would be Hokage, if Danzo was chosen the man was likely to punish him in some way or another due to his interference in the council meeting. The man will also hinder his plans for world peace if he were to be the one chosen as Hokage, he would not allow the war hawk to lead Konoha into a future of war, grief and destruction.

The Daimyo sat in his chair unmoving, his eyes studying both candidates without a trace of emotion on his face, he took all opinions, arguments, situations and beliefs into consideration for his final decision. He noticed Danzo's over confident stance compared to Naruto's slightly nervous posture. Danzo was smirking triumphantly, he already believed that it was inevitable, it was now his destiny to become the Hokage of Konoha, the long wait is almost over for the bandaged man.

The Daimyo then broke the silence, "I have come to a final decision" he said as the council members each held their breaths for what was to come, the Daimyo then released a smirk and said "The Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato will be Naruto Uzumaki".

The council for one final time was silent once more, Danzo's lone visible eye widened and from his anger he gripped his walking stick strongly causing it to crack slightly. The advisors quickly broke the silence attempting to dissuade the Daimyo from his decision, meanwhile Naruto stood at the same spot unmoving but with a happy yet bewildered expression.

'I'm Hokage, I can't believe this; I am the Hokage' he thought to himself, but he was soon broken from his reverie as Danzo quickly roared his opinion, "You cannot be serious Daimyo-sama, you are making a grave mistake with this decision. What would the other countries think about us if we choose a mere teenager to represent our village, let alone a genin?"

"I sense nothing wrong with that Danzo-san, if I am not mistaken Kiri and Suna had also inducted Kages around Uzumaki-san's age, I'm certain they were even younger than Uzumaki-san" the Daimyo answered calmly.

"But Daimyo-sama…" Danzo tried to argue only to be cut off by the man himself, "Enough everybody, I have made my decision and I will not change it, I have faith in Uzumaki-san and I believe Konoha is heading towards a bright future with him on the helm" said the Daimyo effectively silencing everybody, his tone was authoritative and it held no room for any form of negotiation, even Danzo reluctantly decided to keep quiet as not to further anger the man.

The Lord of the Land of Fire then stood up from his seat and walked over to the bewildered Naruto who sported a large smile on his face, and nobody could blame him since he was achieving one of his dreams, especially at such an early age.

The Daimyo couldn't help but smile back, the boy's enthusiasm and cheerful nature was quick to rub off onto others, as they now stood face to face both nodded to each other as a sign of respect, then he smiled before asking "Do you, Naruto Uzumaki accept the position of Rokudaime Hokage?".

"Hai Daimyo-sama, I accept" he eagerly answered as he shook the hands of Daimyo,"Very well then, as the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni i appoint you, Naruto Uzumaki as the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato" replied the Daimyo.

Afterwards Naruto was quickly introduced by the Daimyo to the council members as the new Hokage. Despite still recovering from their shock the council members clapped for Naruto, everyone except for the old war hawk, Danzo stayed silent during the rest of the ordeal as he carefully hid his emotions, instead he eerily watched and listened to the rest of the council meeting.

"With all of this now over and behind us I am happy to say that Konoha now welcomes a new age with the reign of the Rokudaime Hokage, with a new Hokage in Konoha the village must celebrate this momentous occasion" said the Daimyo quite eagerly.

"I agree Daimyo-sama, we must have a formal induction and announcement soon for the people, the induction of our new Hokage could increase the current morale of the people of Konoha" answered the elderly Homura.

"Excellent, we must prepare for momentous occasion. I believe we could prepare the village within three days for the celebration." the Daimyo said as the Konoha representatives nodded their heads. He then looked at Naruto, "As for your induction into office I will need you to write a speech, will you need anything for your induction ceremony?" he continued as he directed his attention to the whiskered young man, Naruto shook his head.

"Very well Hokage-sama, three days from now I expect you all prepared for the induction ceremony, I need ANBU to call in the whole population of Konoha to watch in front of the Hokage's Tower as Uzumaki-san is announced at Tsunade-sama's successor. We will also keep the purpose of the event a secret and nobody shall know about Naruto's induction until the day itself" ordered the Daimyo, everyone in the room nodded their heads.

"Now if there is nothing else then everyone is dismissed" said the Daimyo as the council members all began to stand up from their seats one by one, Danzo was the first to get up and leave, Naruto noticed that and believed that he was likely going to one of his hidden ROOT bases.

But as Naruto saw the Daimyo and his advisors begin to pack up their papers and leave he decided to say a few final words, "Thank you Daimyo-sama, you will not regret it" he said with a smile, the Daimyo then waked to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder and told him, "It was no problem Hokage-sama, I have placed a lot of trust and faith in you and I am sure you will deliver" he replied before exiting the office as well alongside his advisors.

Soon the representatives of Konoha also left, the elders Koharu and Homura were the first to leave but before then they extended their congratulations to Naruto, during that small conversation they also formally introduced themselves as the Hokage's personal advisors. Next was the ANBU Commander, the masked man congratulated him for his promotion as well.

But before the Commander left he ran one thing over the newly inducted Hokage. "Hokage-sama, before I leave I must inform you of the customary four man ANBU bodyguard squad designated to protect him" he told the young man.

"Of course, tell me about this bodyguard squad commander!" Naruto ordered as the commander nodded.

"Hokage-sama, it is required for the Hokage to be guarded at all times and so due to this the Hokage is given two certain bodyguard groups, the Hokage Guard Platoon and the four man ANBU bodyguard quad. The four man ANBU squad dedicated to your protection, they include among the best ANBU has to offer and they will act as your shadow, they are assigned to protect you through the shadows and their area of protection is around Konoha's premises, especially within the tower. They also act as messengers and also bodyguards for the Hokage's family" he explained as Naruto nodded impressed over the security of the Hokage.

"Tell me more about my own squad Commander"

"Well unfortunately with a new Hokage comes a new squad, and with that I must recruit your new team for you, hopefully I will have them by in a few days" replied the commander stoically.

"Of course, I look forward to meet my team, thank you commander" Naruto replied back as the commander bowed and vanished via a plume of smoke.

Now the last remaining people in the council room was Naruto and Shikaku, the Jonin Commander also made his way to Naruto with a small smile on his face as he too placed a hand on the young man's broad shoulder; he only had one simple message for his son's friend.

"Congratulations kid, Minato would be proud of you, in some ways you remind me of your father" he said before walking out of the room, Naruto stood there bewildered about the knowledge of Shikaku, if he knew he wondered how many more people knew of his true heritage.

Naruto was suddenly broken off from his thoughts once he heard the doors shut, he was now all alone in the office and he was finally given peace and silence. In this time of solitude, only then did it truly sink in to Naruto that he was the Hokage of Konoha. His life truly has taken a major turn in the past couple of days, he has achieved two of his life goals, he was now acknowledged and respected by the people of Konoha, and he was now the Hokage, but also the youngest Hokage in Konoha's history at the age of 16, even his father was five years older than him when he became Hokage at 21.

He relished the joy he felt, a small smile graced his face but despite the size of the smile, for once in a longtime it was a true smile, not a smile to hide his pain, sadness or suffering, it was a smile which truly reflected the young man's happiness. He had now completed his main dream, and all his hard work and sacrifice has now culminated into this one joyous occasion.

Not too long after he walked out of the room without uttering a single word, he climbed to the top of the Hokage's Monument and stood on top of his father's head as he gazed at the setting sun, the orange sky looked beautiful to Naruto.

Remembering that he had to prepare for his induction ceremony within three days he quickly summoned both Fukasaku and Shima. The two toads popped up next to Naruto and he went on to explain the situation to the two of them. Both were pleasantly surprised to hear how Naruto was named the Rokudaime Hokage.

But the real reason Naruto called them was to ask for help concerning a new outfit, Naruto decided that since he was now being chosen as Hokage he also needed a new change of clothes to signify a change in himself, it was time for him to mature and grow up if he were to lead the whole village.

The two toads smiled at the sight of an all-orange Hokage but they shook their heads from that thought, Naruto instead explained to both Fukasaku and Shima the type of materials he will need and the new clothes he will need for his induction as Hokage.

The two toads were more than happy to help Naruto, soon both returned to Mount Myoboku to prepare Naruto's new outfit. Once again Naruto was left to his own thoughts, he continued to watch the sky but no longer due to the setting sun, and instead he watched the stars in awe.

'Jiraiya-sensei, Hokage-jiji, tousan, if only you could see me now. I will make you all proud' he silently thought to himself before deciding to enjoy the view and watch the sunset over his home, the home he would now lead, protect and fight for as Hokage.

* * *

 **Unknown Akatsuki Hideout**

Within a dark and damp cave a man resembling a Venus fly trap sprouted out from the ground, the man wore a black robe with red clothes and upon arriving in the area he noticed two other men wearing the same outfit.

"Zetsu, you have finally arrived. Now tell me of Pein and Konoha!" demanded a man wearing an orange spiral mask. The one known as Zetsu then recognized the two, the first was Madara Uchiha, while the second more silent one in the back who resembled a shark was Kisame Hoshigaki.

Zetsu nodded and approached the two, he then gave them a detailed report about the battle which took place in Konoha along with the events which transpired after the battle. By the end of it all both Madara and Kisame were bewildered by the fact that Pein was defeated, and by Naruto no less. Madara also grit his teeth at the loss of two more members within the organization, Pein had died restoring the lives he killed in Konoha, while Konan defected from the group.

"What of the Hokage?" Madara asked suddenly.

"With the Godaime in a coma, I heard rumours that there is going to be a new Hokage, I delved a little deeper and the fingers all point towards Danzo, we have reason to suspect that Danzo may be the Rokudaime Hokage, Madara-sama" answered Zetsu calmly.

"Knowing the man I wouldn't be surprised if he was chosen" Madara muttered as he massaged his temples, "I must admit, this Naruto kid is becoming more and more of a pain in my backside, he has constantly put a wrench in our plans, or at least tried" he continued.

Huffing in annoyance, Madara attempted to calm himself to make rational decisions concerning the following days since it was becoming apparent that his plans were not coming along as smoothly as he would have liked. After composing himself, Madara looked towards his two recruits.

"Kisame I need you to go and hunt down the Hachibi, you must succeed where Sasuke and his team failed, as for you Zetsu I need you to return to Konoha and continue your spying on the Hokage matter, I need to know who is chosen" he ordered with authority as both Akatsuki members nodded and disappeared just as quickly to do as they were told.

As Madara was the last one remaining inside the secret cave he decided his next course of actions, the Uchiha sighed as he thought to himself 'It appears I need to have a small family reunion'. With that in his mind he too vanished using his Time and Space Ninjutsu to form a portal to transport himself from one place to another.

* * *

 **Somewhere in Konoha**

Danzo was walking around Konoha's tented areas with a no-nonsense attitude, the man was not in a good mood and quite frankly it was understandable, he had lost out in his bid for the Hokage position once more. As he looked back at it he could understand losing to the likes of the Sandaime, the man was his friend and a student of the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, Hiruzen was also known far and wide as the God of Shinobi, him being chosen as Hokage was understandable, although it pained Danzo he could see why the man was chosen instead of him.

Then there was his successor, the Yondaime Hokage, one of Konoha's greatest hero and a man who won the third shinobi war singlehandedly. He was a genius and a prodigy for his time, and once more Danzo could see why the man was chosen over him as Hokage. He did not like it but there was no shame losing to a man such as the Yondaime.

Next was the Godaime Hokage, the princess of Konoha and a third of the legendary Sannin. As the granddaughter of the Shodai and a student of the Sandaime she was born into what could be considered as Konoha royalty. She soon stepped out of the shadows of her ancestors and mentors to become the greatest medical ninja of all time, once again Danzo did not appreciate losing the position of Hokage, but at least he lost it to a ninja of her repute.

But now this time it was unacceptable, he lost to a mere child, not even an adult. The young man had only just started making a name for himself and he was now chosen as Hokage over him, the Uzumaki lacked experienced and knowledge on how to run Konoha as the Hokage, he clenched his fist harder as he continued to recall the events a few days ago. This time he felt shame in his loss, this was an embarrassment for him to be defeated by a mere child.

Danzo soon realized that he was closing in towards his intended destination, he now stood in front of a rather large brown tent with Hyuga Clan flags on sides of the entrance to the tent.

He went inside and upon entering he noticed various Hyuga elders patiently waiting for him, the tent consisted of ten Hyuga elders, each of them looking as old as Danzo. They were all sitting behind a large table which served to be somewhat similar to a jury box. Danzo knew that this meeting with the Hyuga Elders had to be perfect for him if he were to impeach Naruto.

A man known as Hiroshi Hyuga calmly directed his attention towards the bandaged war veteran in front of him and away from the rest of the Hyuga elders. He was the representative of the whole group, "Why did you wish to meet with us Danzo-sama?" he asked suspiciously as he carefully studied the warhawk.

"I will go straight down to business Hiroshi, I am more than aware of all of your growing disdain towards Hiashi and I am aware of how you are all preparing to overthrow his position as clan head" Danzo calmly said as the ten Hyuga elders all had angered and shocked looks on their faces.

Danzo was up-to-date with the news in Konoha, especially with feuds within the clans, he always knew he could use this as leverage one day and so he dedicated one team of ROOT soldiers for each clan in Konoha. From his spies in the Hyuga Clan he managed to learn that the Hyuga elders were losing their belief, trust and faith in the current head of the clan, Hiashi Hyuga.

Recently Hiashi has been more forgiving and compassionate towards the branch family and he was fighting against the Hyuga Clan's traditions, and for the Hyuga Clan tradition was one of the most vital aspects of their existence. Not to mention the fact that the tradition Hiashi was fighting against was the most important one in the clan's historic background, the current Hyuga Clan Head was fighting to merge both the Branch and Main family together.

This was an inconceivable act for the Hyuga Elders, growing up the elders and the Hyuga Clan were strictly traditionalists, but ever since Hiashi witnessed Naruto's battle against his nephew Neji, Hiashi was changing his ways and his views towards the clan, and this was simply unacceptable for the elders. Traditions were there for a reason, these customs were like laws and rules for their clan and thus it should be upheld and never broken, but at the moment Hiashi was doing what no other leader in clan history had done, he was challenging the customs of their clan.

Ever since then the elders have grown rather distant with the clan head, in the past they were on good terms with the man due, but that was when Hiashi resembled the way they viewed a Hyuga leader should be. Now however they no longer held the same respect for the man, he was becoming a burden for them and they were more than willing to rid themselves of this burden. They have been plotting for the last year on how to rid themselves of Hiashi without arousing the suspicion of others, but it seems despite their best attempts at keeping a low profile someone still managed to learn their true intentions.

Hiroshi gritted his teeth and banged his fist into the table, "How do you know of this Danzo? Tell us!" he demanded impatiently.

Danzo remained calm, not even fazed by Hiroshi's sudden outburst. "It's quite simple old friend, I have ROOT stationed practically everywhere. I have eyes and ears all around the village and all around the Land of Fire as well. Information in itself could be considered a weapon much like the sword or the spear" he explained.

"You and I were never friends Danzo, what do you really want? Why did you really come here?"

"Hiroshi, I didn't come here to fight or blackmail any of you. Instead I came here to offer you something that could benefit the both of us."

Hiroshi looked intrigued at Danzo, "Then speak Danzo, tell us of this offer" he said.

Danzo cleared his throat before he addressed the Hyuga Clan's elders, "Before I tell you my offer I must inform you all about ground-breaking news, Tsunade-sama is no longer the Hokage. The Daimyo has found a replacement for her" he explained.

Hiroshi and the other elders within the camp all looked surprised at the news, "I assume the Hokage is you Danzo" he said in a questioning tone. Truthfully as he thought about he could not grasp any other possible candidate for the position of Hokage, and if there was he couldn't see Danzo not finding a way to force the decision to go his way.

But Danzo shook his head, "The Rokudaime Hokage is Naruto Uzumaki" he said full of disdain. The elders all looked down at Danzo with widened eyes and shocked expressions on their faces.

The elders were not particularly fond of Naruto, even despite his recent success as a hero for the village. The elders despised Naruto for one key reason, the reason is because of how he is the catalyst of the current situations with the Hyuga Clan. Naruto was the one to change and inspire Hiashi to fight for the rights of the Branch Family, had it not been for him then Hiashi would have likely remained the way he was prior to Naruto's battle with Neji.

Hiroshi also realized that Naruto is now proving to be a potentially harmful component in their plot, with Naruto now being armed with his current position as Hokage, the elders would not be surprised if the boy were to intervene with their plans and with Hyuga Clan affairs. Naruto much like Hiashi is a strong supporter of merging both families, and with this revelation the goal of the Hyuga Clan's elders seemed much more difficult to attain especially with Naruto's new role and influence in the mix.

Danzo had to suppress a grin as he noticed the frantic looks of the elders, they were panicking about the wrench Naruto unintentionally threw in their plans. But with Danzo being the opportunist that he was, he knew he could use this for his own advantage.

"This is why I came here to give you all an offer" he said as the elders all stopped their bickering and panicking to listen to Danzo's possible solution, "I believe we could all help each other out. I want to rid myself of Naruto to become the Hokage and you all want to rid yourselves of Hiashi to restore the Hyuga Clan to its former glory" he continued as the elders all nodded in confirmation.

"I am currently forming a plan to make these two goals of ours come true, but for that I will need your help"

"Name for demands Danzo" Hiroshi exclaimed loudly but Danzo once again remained unaffected.

"All I want is for your support for when I become the Hokage and the Caged Bird Seal" he said calmly as the elders looked at Danzo with disbelief, they wondered why on earth he would need the Hyuga Clan's seal.

"Why do you need our seal Danzo?" asked one of the elders as he eyed Danzo suspiciously, the elder also summoned his Byakugan to see if the man would be honest in his answer.

"I simply need it to ensure loyalty from my soldiers in ROOT, with it I could rest assured that my members will remain obedient towards myself. I have already placed a seal on them to refrain them from giving out information about myself, adding this will keep them loyal and obedient to me. I am already having problems with one certain member of my faction, much like Hiashi he is being affected by the Uzumaki, and he has been questioning my methods and beliefs recently. I need to ensure that he and my other soldiers never question me again, and thus my desire for your seal" answered Danzo.

"Interesting, what do we get in return if we do agree to your demands?"

"At the moment I am forming a plan to put myself as Hokage rather than the Uzumaki, and with your help my job will be easier, first off both of us will benefit if I am made Hokage rather than the Uzumaki. And once I am named Hokage I will personally help all of you with your current conflict with Hiashi, I will personally see to it that Hiashi is removed from the Clan head position"

The elders all nodded in understanding, then they gathered around one another to discuss the pros and cons of Danzo's offer. After fifteen minutes to arguing they managed to form a decision, Hiroshi walked up to Danzo and offered him to shake his hand, Danzo agreed and the two grinned maliciously at their new partnership.

"We expect results Danzo-sama, when the time comes when you need us to place the seals on your soldiers you know where to find us. Consider this a done deal" Hiroshi said.

Danzo nodded, "Of course Hiroshi, I must take my leave now. It would be best not to further arouse any suspicion with my presence among all of you. I will make sure that our plans and our partnership will come to fruition for both our sakes".

Hiroshi nodded in return, and soon Danzo exited the tent to return to his base. During his walk back to his base Danzo couldn't help but let out a small smile.

'Everything is going according to plan' he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Konoha**

It was early in the afternoon and we see our hero, the new Hokage Naruto Uzumaki quickly make his way towards the Hokage's office to meet with the Daimyo and elders, the moment for his induction was close at hand.

On his way there he was greeted by numerous civilians and ninjas, as the new hero in Konoha everyone clamoured to the young man. As he walked towards his office he also noticed the people of Konoha being told by ANBU to gather in front of the Hokage Tower, one of the few remaining structures which remained after Pein's attack. He heard that the people were being called for an important announcement, he overheard people whisper, wonder and murmur what this special announcement was about and he smiled, 'These people were in for the shock of their lives' he thought.

After a while Naruto managed to arrive just in time in his new office, upon entering he saw the elders Homura and Koharu, with the exception of Danzo, the two were patiently standing in a corner patiently waiting for him. Also in the office were other council members from the day before, Danzo and the advisors were not present but the ANBU Commander, Jonin Commander and Fire Daimyo were. As he entered he was personally greeted by each of them, they exchanged formal handshakes and congratulatory greetings.

Before continuing he excused himself from the office to finally change into his new outfit. He then left the office and headed to a private room to change, upon finding a vacant room within the large tower. As he entered the room he summoned both Fukasaku and Shima.

"Hello again Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, do you two have the clothes I asked for?" he questioned the two toads.

"Of course Naruto-chan, you better appreciate how long it took me to make this for you on such short notice" Shima said with mock annoyance as she handed him a storage scroll containing the clothes she carefully made for Naruto's induction ceremony.

"Arigato Shima-sama, Fukasaku-sama. I'm sorry I made the request on such short notice" he said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"No worries Naruto-chan, now go on and get changed already" she ordered, Naruto smiled and gave the two toads a mock salute before changing into his new clothes.

As Naruto opened the storage scroll and released the stored items he couldn't help but admire the clothes they made for him. He reluctantly tossed aside his trusty orange jumpsuit and replaced it with his new attire, once he was finished changing he walked in front of the mirror.

'I look so cool' he inwardly squealed as he finally got a closer look on his outfit. As he looked at himself he studied every single part of his clothes and he smiled, both Fukasaku and Shima really did him a solid.

Naruto now wore a black long sleeved fishnet shirt and on top of that he wore a black short sleeved V-neck shirt as well. For his lower body he had the standard issue black ninja sandals along with the black ANBU style pants with the kunai holder tied to his right leg. **(A/N: The outfit for Naruto is based on Itachi's character design without the Akatsuki Cloak)**

Naruto then went back to the storage scroll to grab the final piece of clothing he asked for. He then fitted that final piece on, upon looking at himself through the mirror once morehis eyes widened, it was a perfect fit for him and he could see that with this new haori he looked exactly like his father.

The haori he now wore was a variation of his old sage coat with his father's haori, it was the same physical design as his father's but with the colour scheme of his sage coat. The design of the haori had sleeves up to Naruto's biceps and a heightened collar, in the middle there was also a golden rope closing both sides together.

Rather than being white like the Yondaime's it was dark red and the flames on the hem were black rather than red, and on his back the kanji of 'Rokudaime Hokage' was written down vertically on the back of his haori.

Sitting behind Naruto, both toads were amazed and astounded by the physical similarities Naruto holds with his father, with his new outfit he could easily be mistaken for the Yondaime. Finally Fukasaku also approached Naruto and handed him the Shadow Clone Summoning Scroll.

"Thank you for everything" Naruto told both toads with a large smile on his face, the two toads smiled back at Naruto, "It was no problem Naruto-chan, congratulations on everything you've accomplished you deserve it" replied Fukasaku.

"By the way Naruto-chan when your induction begins the other toads are also going to arrive, Gamabunta, Gamaken, Gamahiro and the others wish to witness another toad summoner be named Hokage" Shima said as Naruto glanced their direction.

"That would be great, I wouldn't be in the position I was had it not been for you guys, and frankly Gamabunta has saved my life countless time so it would be an honour if he could be here" Naruto answered back as he strapped on the large scroll to his lower back.

With everything now ready for Naruto he decided it was almost time for his speech, he decided to return to his office but before then Fukasaku and Shima returned to Mount Myoboku to rally the toads to Konoha in order to watch Naruto's induction as Hokage.

The Hokage now re-entered his office, upon seeing his new clothes the eyes of the Daimyo and elders widened, for the Daimyo he could see that Naruto bore a striking resemblance with one of his predecessors, the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze. He shook his head, it was common knowledge that the Yondaime had no heirs.

The group then waited patiently for the people of Konoha to gather in front of the tower, after a few minutes an ANBU member arrived and he looked at the new Hokage in surprise before he composed himself once more, "Everything is set and the people have been called to the front of the tower Daimyo-sama" he said.

"Excellent, shall we begin?" asked the Daimyo as the ninjas and Konoha representatives nodded, the group of six then walked up of the stair to reach the top of the tower, the area in which the Hokage usually gives speeches to the people of Konoha, from the five Naruto was asked to stand by the door where he could not be seen by the crowd, they asked him to wait before he was introduced as Hokage. Naruto nodded obediently and watched as the Daimyo stood in the middle of the tower balcony, to his left were Koharu and Homura, and to his right were the Jonin and ANBU Commanders.

As the Daimyo walked to the front of the balcony, the crowd suddenly went silence, all signs of whispers, murmurs and chatting all ceased as their Daimyo prepared to address the crowd.

"People of Konoha, I come before you today full of pride and joy, a new age dawns in Konoha and we are here lucky enough to witness it. Unfortunately the past few days have not been kind to Konoha but rest assured, I will do everything I can to help with the reconstruction of the village" he declared proudly causing the crowed to clap and cheer for him.

"Unfortunately however we also hold bad news. From the most recent attack our Godaime Hokage was left in a coma, and she does not appear to be waking up any time soon, however with the bad comes the good, and we found a way to fix this problem quite quickly, we managed to find a more than worthy successor for Tsunade's position of Hokage" admitted the Daimyo as the people of Konoha ceased their clapping, most of them adopting widened eyes, rather than just cheering there were now gasps and murmurs around the crowd.

Everyone was whispering with one another, all of them wondering who their next Hokage was. As the Daimyo saw this he smiled, he absolutely loved the suspense of the induction, and before he decided to name the Hokage he shushed everyone in order for all of them to divert their attention towards himself.

"The candidate we chose is a noble man who has proven himself to be more than worthy of the position. He is a hero of Konoha and I am from what I could tell he seems to be destined for the position" he continued before gazing upon the elderly man beside him, Homura, in order to be handed the Hokage's Hat.

The Daimyo then held the Hokage's Hat, he was now close to bestowing it upon Naruto, he decided it was time to show the village the face of their new leader, "And without further ado I now introduce to you all the Sixth Hokage of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki" he said, the villagers were silent upon hearing this declaration, their hero was now also their leader.

Gasps could be heard all around the area and most people were dead still, Naruto presumed that was his cue, he made his way towards the Daimyo as he was handed the hat. He grabbed it with his right hand and placed it on his head, the five other people occupying the front of the balcony stood back as Naruto decided to take the podium.

From the crowds all eyes were focused on their new Hokage, the older generations of Konoha were rubbing their eyes, they believed it was as if they have seen a ghost. Upon seeing Naruto in that manner they were reminded of a figure in the past, in Naruto they saw the Yondaime Hokage.

From Naruto's point of view the crowd was still speechless, he smiled as he looked from left to right.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato" he yelled to the top of his lungs, and as he screamed that to the heavens the crowd burst and erupted with cheers, chants, songs and claps. The village celebrated their new hero, their new Hokage.

* * *

 **Glossary**

Gedō — Rinne Tensei no Jutsu - Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique

 **Author's Notice**

Well here is my revised version of the first chapter, I pretty much just added a few things here and there as well merged the first two chapters of the original version. I hope all of you enjoyed it and there will be more to come, I promise. Once again any form of criticism and advice is more than welcome.


	2. The Good and the Bad

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Author's Note: Well here is my revised edition of chapter 2, i suggest people begin from the start once more since there are a few things i added in the first two chapters which was not originally there. I mixed things up a bit to form a background to help me introduce future plots i wish to add to my story, i hope you all enjoy and thanks for everyone's patience.**

 **Also just a side note, in the topic of pairings for this story and future stories of mine it will NaruSaku and other side pairings. For those who don't necessarily like or support this pairings i apologize, but this is the pairing i ship. To be honest the stories i will write for the future will only either be NaruSaku or NaruHarem, those are pretty much it when it comes to Naruto's pairings in my stories. Quite frankly i have nothing against all other pairings but this is just the one i support.**

 **Anyway enough about pairings, thank you all for your support and i hope you enjoy the second chapter of my story. Any form of constructive criticism or opinions that could help the story is more than welcome, and if anybody has any ideas they might want to be placed in the story do not hesitate to pm me. Thank you all once more for the patience and support, and i hope you all enjoy chapter 2.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Good and the Bad**

 **Konoha**

The new Hokage stood heroically in the balcony of the Hokage Tower, his haori was flapping in the wind, while the large crowd of people cheered his name. Naruto looked heroic in this display as he soaked in the crowd's reaction. He relished in both the good and the bad. Despite the people's cheers he could also sense a little bit of doubt lingering in their hearts, he paid it no mind. It only served as inspiration for Naruto to prove them all wrong once more.

Among the crowd, Naruto's companions, teammates and classmates looked in awe as their friend achieved his lifelong dream. On one section the Konoha 11 all gathered together. Naruto's induction as Hokage led to a variety of reactions from Naruto's friends and classmates.

"Naruto-kun your flames of youth burn as bright as the sun, you truly are my eternal rival" loudly yelled Rock Lee, Tenten merely shook her head and walked towards her loud teammate as she hit his head with her fist, "Lee, don't ruin the moment" she scolded.

Neji simply watched his teammates' shenanigans, he shook his head in an amused manner but he also had a small smile on his face. He looked once more towards the balcony at their new Hokage, 'I may no longer believe in fate Naruto, but I do believe it was your fate to be Hokage' he thought to himself as he reminisced of his complicated past with Naruto.

At the same time, Team Ten were also having their own set of unique reactions, the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho all celebrated the success of their longtime friend. Ino gazed towards Naruto's direction staring at him dreamily, 'Now I could really fall for him' she silently told herself. As for the Akimichi he raised a bag of chips to the sky and dedicated it to Naruto before intensely munching down on it.

From the three however, Shikamaru was the one with the most affected by it, he gazed at his fellow dead-last with a proud smile on his face, 'Naruto you troublesome bastard, you did it'.

Team Eight were also significantly affected by this announcement, from the three Chunin, two were clapping as one sulked in the ground. Shino stood stoically as he clapped for his friend, if you could look closer one could see a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Hinata on the other hand cheered shyly as her longtime crush finally achieved his lifelong dream, 'Naruto-kun' she thought with a blush as she admired her friend stand on the tower's balcony.

As for Kiba, the man was kneeling down punching the ground for losing the Hokage position to his friend, a dark cloud loomed over him as his dog companion Akamaru attempted to comfort him. Hinata also tried to help her teammate while Shino merely shook his head clearly amused at the antics of his rowdy friend. Deep down Kiba was happy for Naruto, but that doesn't mean he'd admit it to anybody.

Finally there was Sakura Haruno, the lone Kunoichi of Team Seven. She watched with widened eyes as she saw her good friend finally achieve her dreams, then she began to clap and cheer the loudest among their group of friends.

Unknowingly, tears cascaded down her cheeks, she was crying tears of joy at seeing Naruto stand in front of them all as their new leader. 'The idiot finally did it' she thought to herself as she smiled at seeing the Rokudaime Hokage, she admitted that she had own doubts about the affair but she had the utmost faith in Naruto that he will find a way to succeed, he always did. She was also slightly surprised to see his attire's lack of orange but she couldn't help but blush upon seeing the new Naruto.

Another small group of Naruto's friend stood in a different area of the crowd, the small group included Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, Shizune and Iruka, Team Ebisu were also in the group with the three genin of the team cheering loudly for their boss while the elder ninjas were speechless upon the sight of their new leader.

The group of elder ninjas could not utter a single word, there in front of them was their Rokudaime Hokage, they were all joyful and proud at the young man's achievement, but the group could not get one thing of their mind, his similarity to a certain past Hokage.

Soon they were broken off their reverie as the three genin urged them to cheer as well, the older ninjas soon begun to cheer for Naruto, all except for Kakashi. The masked man merely smiled underneath his mask and looked to the sky.

'Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, you two should be proud of your son. I am honoured to call him my student' he thought to himself.

Back on the balcony of the tower, Naruto decided to finally address the crowd. He smiled brightly upon seeing his reception, he has certainly come a long way since his earlier days.

He raised one arm slightly and the crowd began to slowly cease their cheering to listen to their leader's words.

"I stand here before all of you as your Hokage, this dream of mine has finally been fulfilled. I would not have been in this position without the help of all my friends over the years, they are the reason I turned out to be the man I am today, the man who stands as Hokage before you all" said Naruto as his friend smiled at the young man, it was a typical Naruto display, it was his day to shine and yet he couldn't help but still include them in the spotlight.

"I admit I have not had the best life and childhood growing up, it wasn't always peaches and rainbows. I was alone for most of my life and I was ostracized due to what was inside of me and everyone doubted if I would ever succeed as a ninja" he said as the people of Konoha looked down in guilt and shame, they were aware of their mistakes in the past. "But despite all of that I hold no grudges, I have forgiven all of you a long time ago and despite my past I will still protect all of you as the Hokage. Do not worry about the past grievances, as Hokage I consider you all as a part of my family and I promise to you all that I will protect all of you till my dying breath" Naruto continued as the people in the crowd looked up in admiration, they clapped and cheered for him, the people of Konoha were grateful for his forgiveness and dedication.

Naruto looked at the people before continuing, he smiled at the reaction of the people, and that simply reminded him of just how much he truly loved the village of Konoha. "Konoha will be in safe hands with me, the Will of Fire will live on through us and for future generations, I will make sure of that. I swear on the graves of my predecessors I will protect and lead Konoha to the best of my abilities" he stated as the crowd begun to cheer louder and louder for the blonde young man.

"From this day forth, I will proudly serve the greatest village in the world Konohagakure no Sato, as the Rokudaime Hokage" he finished.

The cheers and the celebrations seemed to have no end in sight, the people of Konoha were beyond ecstatic with the news of a new Hokage Naruto was adored by the public, he was quickly rising from celebrity status into something much more.

Today signified a new age in Konoha, the age of the Rokudaime Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

 **Somewhere In the Land of Fire**

The trio of ninjas hailing from Kumogakure continued their journey to Konoha, the Jonin leader Samui was getting annoyed at the bickering of her two Chunin teammates Karui and Omoi.

As their journey continued Karui suddenly lost it, she grabbed her hair out of frustration, "Dammit how long till we reach Konoha. With the pace were going Bee-sensei may already have been extracted by those Akatsuki bastards. Why can't we just take the fight to them, we don't need Konoha's help, Kumo's army is more than enough" she boldly declared in an angered tone.

Samui sighed, she realizes that with the rate they were going their sensei Killer Bee's life may be in peril, but she also knew that to even have a chance to rescue and find their sensei they will need the help of the other nations. "Karui please be patient, if we were to attempt a rescue mission we at least need help from Konoha. Akatsuki include S-Rank ninjas and the one who attacked Bee-sensei was an Uchiha, we are simple overmatched at this point in time" she explained calmly as Karui looked down in defeat, she knew Samui was right.

Omoi nodded his head in agreement, "Samui, how long till we reach Konoha?" he asked calmly as he continued to suck on his lollipop.

"From my estimations it will take us up to five days at most to make it to Konoha, if we are lucky we could probably arrive sometime in the next three days" she explained as the two Chunin groaned, the two began to complain at how long their journey has been and how much longer it will take.

Samui sighed at the antics of her two teammate's display, 'I'm in charge of children' she thought to herself as she shook her head in disbelief.

* * *

 **Konoha**

Meanwhile back in Konoha, Naruto's induction ceremony had just finished. The crowds returned to helping in their part to repair the damage left by Pein during his attack. The Daimyo also said goodbye to the new Hokage as he decided it was time for him to return to his home, seeing as how his work was done. The toads also returned to their home in Mount Myoboku once the induction ceremony was finally over.

After shaking the hands with the Daimyo and the two Konoha Commanders, Naruto walked down the tower to make his way to his new office, upon opening it he saw his two new elders waiting for him patiently in front of his desk. Once the two saw him, both stood up, "Hokage-sama" they both said simultaneously before bowing down respectfully.

"Koharu-san, Homura-san" the young man greeted.

"Hokage-sama, as you know myself and Homura-san are your two official advisors, we also serve as elders in Konoha and we have served under the Sandaime, the Yondaime and the Godaime Hokage" explained Koharu as Naruto nodded.

"As your two advisors we are aware that you are still new to the job and that you still lack the skills required for this position, no offence Hokage-sama" explained the female advisor.

"None taken Koharu-san, I'm more than aware of what my strengths in weaknesses are" he answered back calmly.

"I see, well that is good. But seeing as how this is your first day on the job allow me and Homura-san to give you the official tour, in this tour we will introduce you to the heads of certain departments in Konoha, it will be important for you to be acquainted with them seeing as they will serve under you. We will also show you the locations accessible only to the Hokage and other high-ranking officials within Konoha. Will this be alright Hokage-sama?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, he then glanced over to his new desk, he saw stacks of paper, and he groaned recognizing them to be his paperwork. The paperwork required of him were all vital towards the village and so he had to treat it with the utmost importance, but he also realized that this tour is an excellent opportunity for him to grow accustomed to his new job and to learn the ropes.

With his quick thinking he managed to remember a solution for this dilemma, he looked towards the two advisers and nodded, "I think a tour would be a great idea, but before that I need to do something quickly" he said.

Homura nodded, "By all means Hokage-sama" he said as Naruto brought up a familiar hand seal, he managed to summon ten shadow clones in his office and he began to give them orders for when he was away in his tour.

Naruto ordered the ten clones to each do a tenth of the paperwork themselves while he was away on his tour. The ten clones saluted mockingly before carrying on to do their newly assigned orders.

Koharu and Homura watched in the background, the two looked at each other and shrugged. Both were slightly surprised to see the Hokage manage to learn the secret of the jutsu their sensei created, they did have to admit it was an efficient method.

The new Hokage then decided to begin the tour, he and his two advisors quickly made their way. Soon hours fly by between the three of them, during the tour Naruto was first shown around the tower itself, he was shown the elders offices just below his office, the council room in the top floor of the tower, and the other vital rooms within the tower.

Then Naruto was shown to the underground prison of the village, the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility, there he was introduced to the wardens and he was told of the purpose of the area, the prison itself is the most dangerous of Konoha seeing as how it houses the most villainous and violet criminals and missing-nins of Konoha.

Afterwards Naruto and the two elders returned to the village itself, there he was introduced to the heads of the departments, first was Ibiki Morino, the head of Konohagakure Intelligence Division, next was the Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara, Naruto was already familiar with the two but they explained their roles to Naruto for him to better understand how they could help him in the future.

Next on the list was the Hokage Guard Platoon, the two elders introduced Naruto to one of his two forms of bodyguard protection squads. Unlike the four-man ANBU squad, the Hokage Guard Platoon was in charge of Naruto's protection when travelling outside of Konoha. Naruto met the three members of the group, the leader was a Tokubetsu Jonin Naruto recognized from his Chunin Exams, Genma Shiranui. Then there was another Tokubetsu Jonin in the group, Raidō Namiashi and the final member was the lone Chunin from the three, Iwashi Tatami.

Naruto was glad to meet them all seeing as how they will be protecting him for years to come. Once they finished with the introductions here Naruto was shown around other areas remaining in Konoha and introduced to other high-ranking officials within Konoha who now work under him.

Not too long after the tour was coming close to an end, the last two places were the Konoha Archive Library and the ANBU Headquarters, they decided to go to the former rather than the latter first, the library was not an ordinary one within Konoha, this library was placed in the Hokage Monument and was only accessible to the Hokage, the elders, the Jonin Commander and the ANBU Commander of Konoha, other than that the area was off limits.

Naruto was shown the entrance to the area and how to enter it, he needed to place his blood on a seal placed on the door for it to recognize whether or not the person had access to the area, and the seal was recently updated to also include Naruto's blood within the list. This security system worked somewhat similarly to a summoning jutsu.

As the three entered the library, Naruto was told of what it held. The library had gigantic shelves full of books, documents, folders, notes and scrolls in the area, all of which were categorized in a neat and orderly manner. Naruto stood in the room in awe, he noted to himself to take advantage of his access to the area seeing as how it could prove vital for his tenure as Hokage.

Naruto walked around the library in both shock and awe upon seeing the massive gathering of books and other files. Homura walked over to him, "Amazing isn't it?" he asked as Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Well Hokage-sama you have access to all of this. This library contains various scrolls of every jutsu of Konoha, there are also jutsu scrolls from other nations but it mostly contains the scrolls of Konoha. Inside there are also documents, folders and notes from the former regimes, the past Hokages also held their own scrolls and journals which could be found here and you are more than welcome to take as much as you want, just so long as you return them" explained Homura.

"This could prove to be extremely beneficial for me" Naruto admitted, as he continued to explore the large area. After a while Naruto and the two decided to go to their final location, the ANBU headquarters.

The ANBU headquarters secret entrance was within the Hokage Tower basement, there Naruto was shown a secret door and pathway to the base itself. This base proved to be among the many littered all around Konoha but this also served to be the main base of ANBU, the others were also decimated during the attack of Pein leaving this to be the sole remaining base within Konoha.

As Naruto entered he was shown through the area until they arrived to the base itself, the area was large seeing how it was underground. There were various facilities in the area such as changing rooms, offices, conference rooms, bathrooms, gyms, dojos, training grounds, a bar and other recreational rooms. None of those were of concern however as they instead made their way to the ANBU Commander's office instead.

During their walk to the ANBU Commander's office, the various ANBU within the base began to salute respectfully towards their new leader, Naruto smiled at the respect he was getting. A few minutes later they finally manage to arrive in the commander's office, once they arrived Naruto thought it seemed similar to the Hokage's office but slightly smaller.

The ANBU Commander bowed and the three noticed he was accompanied by four other ANBU operatives who bowed alongside the commander, it seemed as if the man had been expecting them for some time.

"Hokage-sama, it is a pleasure to see you" he said.

"Thank you ANBU Commander, it seems you have been expecting us?" replied the young Hokage.

"Indeed Hokage-sama, we were awaiting your arrival as I wish to introduce your new ANBU bodyguard squad to you. I assure you that upon reviewing all my personnel I could not find anybody else more capable than them, they are the best of the best" said the masked man as he pointed to his four other members who stood in place proudly.

Naruto nodded and smiled as he saw them, he noticed that there were three shinobi and one Kunoichi from the group. "Pleased to meet you all, but before you all become my official protection squad from ANBU I wish to meet you all without the masks" he said with a smile.

The four ANBU members all looked towards their commander as if asking for permission, he nodded and the four began to remove their masks, Naruto looked at each of them, "Could you please introduce yourselves?" he asked as the four nodded.

The first to walk up was an average looking man, he had spiky brown hair and brown eyes, he looked like he was in his mid-thirties, "Hokage-sama I am Katsuro Miyamoto; my roles in the group are as the captain and the tracker. My ANBU codename is wolf and I have been in ANBU for 15 years" he said proudly before stepping back.

Next to walk up was a blonde man with blue eyes much like Naruto who looked to be in his thirties as well, "My name is Daichi Yamanaka, Hokage-sama. My role in the team is as the torture and interrogation specialist of the group, I also serve as a sensor. My ANBU codename is Panther and I have been in ANBU for 11 years" he said as he stepped back into the group.

Naruto nodded, "This is a good start" he said pleasantly as the lone Kunoichi of the group walked up to begin her introduction. She appeared to have a slender and athletic figure, she had dark blue hair and green eyes, and she also appeared to be in her mid-twenties.

"Hello Hokage-sama, my name is Kaede Suzuki. I serve as the poison specialist, the trap expert and medic of our group. My codename in ANBU is spider and I have been in the organization for 6 years"

Then the final member walked up as Kaede rejoined her group. The young man had dark red hair much like Gaara but he also had yellow eyes, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties as well. "My name is Hideki Sato, I am the weapons specialist, infiltration expert and the assassin of the group. In ANBU I am known as badger and I have been in this line of work for 7 years" he said.

Naruto was pleased with the team, "Thank you all for agreeing to do this, I feel safe now that my life is in your hands" he told them as the four smiled.

"In behalf of the four of us Hokage-sama, we vow to protect your life to the best of my capabilities" said the captain of the group, Katsuro Miyamoto.

The Hokage approved of the four as he ordered them get ready to begin, the four nodded and vanished to station themselves within the Hokage tower.

With this final step now done, the tour was now over and the three returned to the office at a leisured pace, Naruto did his best to remember all the places and people from earlier today.

As they entered the office once more Naruto saw his clones hard at work as they quickly and efficiently went through the Hokage's bane known as paperwork, he also noticed the letters properly sealed and placed in the side of his desk and he smiled at the good job done by his shadow clones.

The two elders were also surprised at the rate that the clones finished the paperwork, in order to check their work, Homura walked over to the pile of the completed paperwork and began to read a few off the top, he was quite impressed at the performance and the choices of the clones, their decisions and choices with the paperwork was a little rough around the edges, but that was to be expected, all in all though it was quite well done considering Naruto's non-existent experience to this line of work.

Naruto saw the impressed expression of the elder and he couldn't help but grin upon seeing their reactions, he then walked over to his new chair and sat in it as he relaxed his aching feet, the two elders then made their way to the front of Naruto's desk as they directed their attention to the young Hokage.

"Do you have any questions Hokage-sama?" asked Koharu, Naruto nodded slightly.

"Yes I do have two questions. First off, am I able to promote anybody I see fit? My second one is related to my staff, if I was not mistaken I am also entitled to an advisor or two and a secretary correct?" the Hokage asked the two.

Homura began to answer Naruto's first question, "As for the promotions unfortunately you are unable to just promote anyone you see fit. For this you have to run your choices over the council during meetings where they will vote on whether or not a candidate is worthy of a promotion, but during times of war or during an invasion attack you are given the ability to bypass the rule promote whoever you want, you do not need to seek approval from the council".

"For the second question Hokage-sama, yes you are entitled to your own personal staff. You alone are in charge of choosing them but we do advise you to be cautious as to who you would choose as your advisors, we recommend for you to choose only two of them, and even though we will serve as you official advisors they will be your personal advisors" answered Koharu.

"Any other questions Hokage-sama?" she asked.

"Actually I have another question which popped into my mind, it's about the Jonin Vote. I just want to know any details about it, when it will take place and such" he told them.

"The Jonin Vote is a customary tradition to see if one candidate is truly worthy of the position of Hokage, usually it takes a month or two during the reign of the Hokage to see if he is worthy but due to the state of the village we believe we may push it back to six months. During those six months you must impress the Jonin of Konoha and show them why you are worthy of the position, during the vote you also need at least 75% of the Jonin votes to be accepted, the votes of Jonin, ANBU and Tokubetsu Jonin are counted during this event" explained Koharu.

Naruto understood the answers of the two elders, he already had people in mind for a promotion and for his personal advisors and secretary. He also felt no pressure with the Jonin vote, he was confident in his abilities. Sensing no other question the elders nodded, Koharu then informed Naruto about what tomorrow would bring for him.

"Hokage-sama, we have also scheduled your first ever council meeting tomorrow, the clan heads and other council members were also told about this. This is customary much like the tour in order to show the newly inducted Hokage the real council meetings since as Hokage this is going to be a regular event in your life. The council members are anxious to hear from you, they are currently awaiting any form of news or plans you may have concerning Konoha's reconstruction plans, and while you are there I suggest for you to ready whatever idea you have in mind which requires approval from the council. Now if you ever have any more questions you wish to ask us, just look for us within our offices below you" she explained to Naruto as both she and Homura began to exit the office of the Hokage.

But before the two could leave Naruto decided to ask them one more question that has been bugging him all day, "Wait" he called out to them as the two refrained their actions and moved back into the front of Naruto's desk.

"Yes Hokage-sama, what do you need of us?" asked Homura.

"Actually Homura-san, Koharu-san I have one final question but it is more of a personal question" he admitted.

"Of course Hokage-sama, ask away" replied Koharu.

Naruto gulped as he thought of ways not to sound rude towards the two elders, "Why are the two of you being so supportive of me?" he asked, as the moment those words came out of his mouth he realized his mistake as it did sound slightly rude towards the two elders.

"Excuse me?" Koharu asked in a confused tone.

Naruto re-composed himself, "What I mean is why are you to suddenly helping me and my chances at being Hokage. I would've thought that the both of you would be supporters of Danzo rather than myself, and I recall both of you not being particularly fond of me during my childhood" he explained.

The two elders' expressions softened, they now understood Naruto's confusion towards the whole situation. Koharu looked at Homura and the elder man nodded to her giving her the confirmation to finally explain their views concerning the matter at hand to Naruto.

Koharu sighed, "We will admit Hokage-sama, when you were growing up we weren't particularly your biggest fans. We admit that we were even on Danzo's side when the topic at hand was concerning you, we thought it would be best for you to be placed in ROOT rather than the academy, but the Sandaime always rejected Danzo's suggestions to place you in ROOT. But as you continued to grow so did our opinions about you" she explained.

Naruto listened attentively, he flinched at the mention of his possible recruitment to ROOT; he was extremely grateful towards the Sandaime that he had not been placed in that horrible faction.

"The Sandaime was the first key factor in changing our views about you, Hiruzen was always a kind and nurturing man and he thought the world of you. He always believed in you and that belief soon rubbed on us, when we saw you risk your life during the Chunin Exams and when we saw you willingly take on Pein by yourself we saw you for who you truly were" she continued, Naruto looked at the two elders in surprise, he hadn't known that he has this effect on people.

"Ever since the Chunin Exams we saw your potential and the love you held for the village, we also saw the Will of Fire burning brightly within you. We could see greatness in your near future, and we even believed you could even one day become Hokage. We just didn't think it would be so soon, and although we believe in you we aren't necessarily sold on you already becoming Hokage. You are much too young Hokage-sama and you don't have the required knowledge, political savviness nor etiquette to truly be a Kage, at least not yet. We want you to one day be Hokage, but we would have preferred it to be the later rather than sooner. We wished that by the time you were chosen as Hokage you would have already been equipped with the required skills and knowledge rather than having to be baptized in fire"

Naruto nodded fully understanding the source of their worries and reluctance, he was not at all surprised that it revolved around his immaturity, unrefined nature, impatience and naiveté. A Kage needed the perfect blend of both strength and knowledge but at this point in time Naruto was more than aware that his strength was far more superior to his knowledge. If he were to be a successful Hokage he needed to grow up, mature and learn as much as he can, and he planned on doing just that.

"Although we do agree with Danzo from time to time and although we are friends with him even we must admit that we would rather have you as Rokudaime Hokage than him" she confessed as Naruto was broken out of his thoughts, he stared at the elderly woman with a shocked expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Danzo is too aggressive and ambitious for his own good, and though he cares for Konoha as much as we do, his methods of showing it are questionable to say the least"

Naruto nodded in understanding, "But Hokage-sama it is what it is and there is no way to turn back time. We are still more than happy that you're Hokage but that does not mean we will always be on your side during arguments and debates. We may be supporters of you but our main priority is Konoha and the village's wellbeing, we may not always appear to be your friends Hokage-sama but we will do everything we can to help you live up to your potential".

Naruto looked at Koharu surprised at the words she told him, he smiled at the two elders and felt happy to know that he did have people who believed in him.

"Arigato Koharu-san, Homura-san" Naruto told the two.

The two bowed respectfully to Naruto, "Hokage-sama, we may not believe you are ready just yet for your position but we will assist you in any way possible to hone your potential for you be a great Hokage" Homura said before the two elders began to leave Naruto's office, but before the two left Homura remembered something important.

"Also, before we leave Hokage-sama I wish to give you something to help you start off with" Homura told Naruto as he handed him a moderate sized storage scroll, "Inside the storage scroll are books on topics such as politics, history and economics. These are merely a small collection of books within our office which could help you develop your skills as Hokage, I recommend for you to read them as soon as you can, consider this our congratulatory gift Hokage-sama".

Naruto nodded and thanked the two, he quickly stood up from his chair and led the two towards his door, once the two were gone he glanced at the clock in his room, he noticed it was still mid-afternoon and he still had quite a bit of time to kill. Choosing to do something productive he decided to head over to the Konoha Archive Library once more while leaving his clones with the dreaded paperwork.

As he entered the area he browsed the catalogues and the inventory quite thoroughly and he managed to use clones to speed up the process once more. After a few hours he managed to acquire a large pile of items from the private library, one of the first things he borrowed was the various jutsu scrolls in the library. He focused mostly on the wind manipulation scrolls and scrolls for non-elemental techniques such as Fuinjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, and for Clone Techniques.

Naruto decided to take those scrolls to give himself variation when it came to combat, he was aware that as Hokage he needed a much wider arsenal of techniques seeing as how a Kage was described as a ninja who should at least know a thousand techniques. He realized that during his battle with Pein, had it not been for the Kyuubi's intervention during the battle, he may not have lived for another day.

With that in mind Naruto learned that if another situation arises such as the attack of Pein, Naruto needed a wider variety of techniques if he wished to protect Konoha without the assistance of the Kyuubi. The combination of shadow clones and Rasengan variations were no longer enough, he needed to branch out in order to learn how to truly be a Kage-level shinobi. Despite only focusing on wind manipulation for now, that didn't necessarily mean Naruto was going to solely stick with his affinity, he was certain that the previous Hokages had at least known three elements.

The Yondaime was the youngest Hokage before him and he was a master of three elements and he had the least of the other Hokages not including Naruto. Tsunade was even a master of four elements, and even Naruto's two teachers had the ability to use four seeing as how both Kakashi and Jiraiya each mastered the same amount of elements as Tsunade.

While on the other hand the Shodai, Nidaime and Sandaime were each on another level having mastered all five of the basic elements with the Shodai also mastering his Kekkei Genkai, Mokuton. Naruto realized he had to train and better himself constantly if he wished to live up to ninjas of that calibre, but for now he will take it one step at a time starting with wind, and soon hopefully he will master his affinity and move onto other elements.

Another goal of Naruto was to also finally master the Rasengan; he grabbed the scrolls of his father concerning the Rasengan in order to learn how to use it without the need of clones, and hopefully once he masters that he could do the same with the Rasenshuriken and then move onto his father's other move, the Hiraishin.

All in all he saw that he needed to improve in various areas if he wished to be known as Konoha's greatest Hokage, and because of that he also took the notes, journals, documents, folders and files of the past regimes of Konoha in order to better understand the reign of each of Konoha's past Hokages.

Naruto recognized the importance of learning his history and the past events of Konoha in order for him to see what he could do better and he could avoid in the future. The young Hokage was beyond determined to surpass all those who came before him and so he took as much as he can from the library, and once he was done he stored them all in a storage scroll as large as his Shadow Clone Summoning Scroll.

Once he was finished getting the things he needed, Naruto decided it was finally time to call it a day. He brought the scroll with him and called back the clones in his office as he recalled their memory, he grinned at use of his shadow clones. Despite the large quantities of reading he has to do with the books given to him by the elders, the paperwork he has to complete and the items he borrowed from the Konoha Archive Library, he could easily trim the time he will need to complete quite significantly due to the insane amounts of shadow clones he could form easily.

As he exited the library he saw that the sun had finally set and the night was finally upon them, he suddenly yawned and sensed that the day had taken a toll on him he decided to head over back to his tent in order to get a good night's sleep to prepare himself for the ordeal he was going to have the very next day.

* * *

 **Unknown Area**

Team Taka were quickly running through the trees to make it to Sasuke's former home, Konoha. During the journey the team was relatively silent, well at least more silent than usual. Sasuke led the group but he was engrossed with his past memories with Itachi; that has been occupying his mind lately since he learned the truth of the massacre from the Akatsuki leader Madara Uchiha. He clenched his fist in anger at the thought of the village's crimes towards the Uchiha, he vowed to be the one to avenge his clan.

Their silent journey continued until they noticed a portal-like distortion in front of them, the four stopped to see what it was, suddenly they noticed a masked man walk out of the tunnel. Team Taka recognized the man as Madara Uchiha, the masked man suddenly noticed the company, he raised a hand and greeted the four.

"Hey Sasuke" he said nonchalantly, Sasuke didn't seem surprised at the arrival of his distant relative while his three other teammates were in shock.

'What the hell, how did this guy do that. I didn't even sense his chakra, it was as if his chakra just came out of nowhere' Karin frantically thought to herself.

Suigetsu cursed at the arrival of the leader of Akatsuki, "Shit, bad timing" he mumbled to himself.

Sasuke was the only one unfazed from the four, he looked at Madara with an uninterested expression. "How did you find us?" he asked him.

Madara scoffed at the foolish question of the young Uchiha, "Don't underestimate my power Sasuke, this is just the tip of the iceberg" he replied.

Sasuke nodded stoically, "What do you want with me and my team. Team Taka is no longer a part of the Akatsuki, we have no use of you and your group anymore".

Madara shook his head at Sasuke's foolishness, "tsk, tsk, tsk Sasuke. Did you forget our deal?" he asked rhetorically. "I told you that I will kill you and your team if you betray me, and it seems that you did just that" he said calmly.

Sasuke looked at the man confused, "What the hell are you even talking about?" he demanded.

"I'm talking about the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki, you failed me Sasuke"

"What are you talking about? We captured him and even delivered him to you" intervened Karin.

Madara slowly turned his head towards the red-headed Kunoichi, "It was a fake my dear, he tricked all three of you" he informed them as she gasped, in the back Jugo remained calm but Suigetsu gritted his teeth.

"The Hachibi Jinchuuriki really pulled the fast one on the four of you, I'm quite disappointed I must say, here I thought you four had potential as a team" he admitted as Sasuke clenched his fist in anger, he hated to fail and he hated to be looked down upon. He recalled the battle itself and soon his eyes widened as he realized that Madara did speak the truth, during the battle he truly did give them the slip.

Suigetsu broke the awkward silence as he marched towards the masked man, "What do you want us to do about it? We already did our job!" he yelled angrily but the volume had no effect on Madara seeing as how he remained and stood as calm as before.

"No, you will fulfil your promise to me and my group. But I am no longer interested in the Hachibi Jinchuuriki, instead I have another target I have in mind for you four"

Sasuke faced the older Uchiha, "And what if I said no?" he asked daringly.

"Then you will have to face me if you wish to make it to Konoha, and I'm sure all four of you know that even with your combined powers you four are still too weak to even challenge me" he answered while flaring his chakra slightly causing Karin and Suigetsu to gulp nervously due to the power of his chakra.

Sasuke paid his threats no mind, he readied his Chidori and jumped towards the masked man only for him to pass through the older Uchiha, his eyes widened at the power of Madara. As Sasuke passed through him, he whispered something to Sasuke, "It's too late to go to Konoha now".

Sasuke jumped back to his team after recovering, his eyes were widened due to the statement and Madara's power, the rest of the team also looked in shock at the power of Madara.

"There is no point in your goal anymore Sasuke, it's futile. Too bad for you".

"What do you mean" Sasuke asked as he glared at the masked man.

"Konoha has been destroyed Sasuke"

The whole of Team Taka were further shocked with the revelation, Karin was the first to recover. What are you talking about?" she asked him.

Madara was about to speak until he noticed another chakra source, out from the ground Zetsu popped up. The members of Taka were unsurprised to see the Akatsuki spy pop up out of nowhere, during their time in the group they have learned of the plant-like man's powers.

"Allow me to explain Madara-sama" asked Zetsu as Madara nodded but not before asking him a question, "So Zetsu I assume you did as you were told. Who was named Hokage? I assume was Danzo".

Zetsu faced his master, "During my spying mission in Konoha I found out that there were three candidates for the position of Hokage, one was Danzo Shimura, the second was Naruto Uzumaki and the third was Kakashi Hatake" explained the Akatsuki spy as Sasuke looked surprised at the inclusion of his former teammate. Unknown to the group however, Madara flinched slightly upon hearing the name of the third candidate, he unknowingly tightened his jaw upon hearing that name possibly become the Hokage of Konoha.

Madara quickly composed himself in order to avoid arousing suspicion, he turned to Zetsu once more, "Tell me who was chosen" he demanded impatiently, but Zetsu remained unaffected by the man's sudden loss of composure.

"In the end it was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki Naruto Uzumaki" he told him as the members of Team Taka had shocked expressions, but the most shocked would be Sasuke.

The young Uchiha's eyes widened in shock and his mouth was slightly agape. Madara on the other hand was slightly surprised by this, he had expected Danzo but with this piece of information it seems his plans have changed once more.

Madara suddenly began to laugh mirthlessly, he could see the irony of it all upon hearing the news. "Is this true Zetsu, are you certain?" he asked him.

Zetsu nodded, "It is true, his power has certainly reached the levels of a Kage" he assured.

Madara sighed, this meant that once again a wrench was thrown into his plans, and lo and behold the cause was Naruto once more. This spelled bad news for the Akatsuki since Naruto's protection is now heavily increased as Hokage, and also it is rare for a Kage to leave their village seeing as how they manage the village within the confides of their own personal office.

Capturing Naruto was now much more difficult, seeing as how he gained the strength to defeat an enemy the calibre of Pein, and how if Akatsuki wanted to get to Naruto they now had to go through all of Konoha, it didn't help that Pein also revived the ninjas he killed in his attack of Konoha. As Madara thought about his next course of action one thing was for certain, Naruto was now their priority at this point in time.

Sasuke clenched his fist and gritted his teeth upon hearing the news, 'There is no way that the dobe is Hokage' he thought to himself.

Sasuke was filled with inner turmoil at the moment, he couldn't believe that Naruto had the power of a Kage already, they had just seen each other a few months back just after Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato's battle with Kabuto and Orochimaru at the Tenchi Bridge. During their battle Naruto was no match for him whatsoever, even with the help of the other three he could have easily defeated them, but now it seems that was not the case.

The young Uchiha hated to be outshined and hated to be weaker than anybody, but the one thing he hated most was the thought that Naruto could have been better than him. Ever since he knew him he had been better than the dead last in everything, and even though he once considered him to be a brother he would not allow him to exceed him in any way.

He quickly shook his head for those thoughts to disappear for now, before he deals with Naruto he needed to know about what had happened to Konoha, he looked towards the two Akatsuki members, "I don't care if Naruto is Hokage or not, tell me about Konoha" he demanded as he attempted to hide his true feelings and thoughts about the information.

Madara glanced towards the younger Uchiha, "Pein, I ordered one of the Akatsuki members to attack Konoha, and it seems both he and you have made quite a commotion in the five nations. After your attack on the Hachibi and Pein's attack on the Kyuubi the five nations have been in distress, no longer were Konoha and Suna the only villages seeing us as legitimate threats, at least two more have begun actions to counter our moves" he explained to the four-man team before Zetsu interrupted him.

"Allow me to explain Madara-sama" he asked as Madara nodded.

Zetsu then went on to explain the battle of Pein and Naruto, the four were surprised at the level of destruction the two caused around the Land of Fire along with Naruto's growth as a ninja. They were all further shocked to hear that Pein wielded the legendary Rinnegan, they couldn't believe Naruto could defeat a man of that calibre. With the news told to them the three recruited members of Team Taka were unsure of what to believe from Sasuke, they were constantly told stories of Team Seven and how weak Naruto was when compared to him, and now here they were hearing about the accomplishments of Naruto. After a while Zetsu managed to complete his explanation leaving the four dumbfounded.

Suigetsu looked at the Akatsuki spy, he was still slightly unsure about all of this, "Are you sure that Naruto actually did all of that?" he asked him causing Zetsu to nod. He shuddered at the thought of someone wielding that much power and potential.

"I assure you all that I speak the truth. Naruto's powers increased immensely ever since he learned Senjutsu. He is even stronger than Sasuke-kun" said Zetsu teasingly.

Sasuke glared at the plant-like man and unleashed a little bit of KI, "I don't care about all of that, tell me about this summit you spoke of" he demanded angrily as his emotions showed his true thoughts on the matter at hand.

Madara sensed Sasuke's uncontrollable emotions when it came to matters such as this, he grinned as he saw Sasuke in this state; his superiority complex when it came to Naruto made him an easy target to manipulate. 'This could prove to be an excellent opportunity for Akatsuki' he thought to himself.

Suigetsu then walked over to Sasuke and broke the tense silence, "What are you thinking Sasuke? Why are we even talking about this summit meeting, isn't our mission to kill Danzo and the elders of Konoha?" he asked.

Sasuke looked at his sword-wielding teammate with a stoic demeanour, "Do not worry Suigetsu, I still plan on killing Danzo and the elders, but before then I have something I have to prove. I have a target before we get to the elders, I wish to kill my brother" he told them with a maniacal grin as the three looked at him confused.

Suigetsu looked confused, "What do you mean your brother? We already killed Itachi?" he asked him as Sasuke glared at him for bringing up old wounds. Suigetsu stood back a bit once Sasuke began to unveil his new Mangekyo Sharingan at him.

"You wouldn't understand Suigetsu, none of you would understand. This is just something I must do, something inside of me will not allow Naruto to continue what he is doing" he told them finally losing his cool. In the back Madara's grin further increased but the expression was hidden underneath his mask.

"I think I could offer you a solution to your problem Sasuke" interjected the masked man as the four members of Taka directed their attention to him.

"Akatsuki and I already have a plan in set to attack the Five Kage Summit, we were originally going to attack to send a message to the five Kages and to deal as much damage to them as possible but since the Kyuubi Jincuuriki is now the Hokage this could also serve as our best chance to capture him. So tell me Sasuke, are you by any chance interested in joining" he asked coyly with a grin hidden underneath his mask.

"Count me and my team in but only with one condition. I'll be the one who will fight Naruto" he told Madara and the older man's grin widened as he nodded to confirm Sasuke's condition.

'Good, my plan is all coming together' he thought to himself.

"Where is this summit going to take place and when?" Sasuke asked the man,

"It will take place in the Land of Iron approximately one month from now"

Sasuke nodded, Madara then looked at his spy Zetsu.

"Zetsu we have a change of plans, I need you to look for Kisame and bring him back, we need him for the attack on the summit if we wish to capture the Hokage" he said as Zetsu nodded.

The Akatsuki spy then submerged into the ground to look for his fellow Akatsuki member Kisame, at the same time Madara and the four members of Team Taka were quickly making their way to the Akatsuki hideout to begin their planning for the summit attack.

During the journey to the hideout Madara smiled underneath his mask due to his new recruits, 'It looks like all my plans are coming to fruition" he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Secret ROOT Base**

Meanwhile, back in Konoha there were various hidden locations for Danzo's ROOT forces, they served as bases and no one knew much knowledge of them save for the ROOT members themselves. The entrances to the base were spread all around Konoha, some of which were even secretly placed within the Hokage tower.

Danzo was making his way to his main base and beside him were his ten new business partners, the Hyuga Elders. He soon noticed the 'dead end' in front of them, he opened the secret doors within placed in the 'dead end' he designed, and with ROOT being a secretive organization it was only natural to have secret doors within their headquarters and base of operations.

The Hyuga Elders all looked impressed and amazed at the excellent precautions Danzo took to hide his bases, even with their Byakugan they would not have been able to find this base of his.

Upon entering the secret door Danzo and the elders walked through the lone pathway and arrived in front of all the ROOT soldiers as they waited for Danzo's arrival patiently, upon seeing their leader they all simultaneously took a knee and bowed to the man respectfully, though some were also confused concerning the presence of Hyuga Clan members they chose not to express their opinions and rather put their faith and belief in their leader.

'This is true leadership' the warhawk thought with a smirk on his face as he watched his obedient followers, in the back the elders were both amazed and intimidated at the small army which stood in front of them. They were aware of Danzo's power but they had not expected it to be like this. They were now feeling more and more confident in their dealings with Danzo.

As Danzo glanced towards his ROOT army he informed them of the current news of Konoha and its new Hokage. For the ones unaware of the news they were shocked to hear that their leader was not chosen for the position.

"But worry not my soldiers, I will find a way to take care of our problem. In due time I will be the Hokage rather than the Uzumaki" Danzo claimed as he finished up his speech.

After the speech he then called for Sai, Fu and Torune, the three arrived in front of Danzo bowing their heads as a sign of respect.

"I consider the three of you among the best ROOT soldiers I have trained since the beginning of this program, with that said I have a mission capable of you three" explained Danzo as the three awaited their orders.

"Torune and Fu, I require the two of you to each form your own team of four consisting of your fellow ROOT members. Your mission will be to spy on the new Hokage, the two of you will take you turns with your teams but I must warn you, he has his own four man ANBU bodyguard squad protecting him and the boy has quite powerful sensory abilities. I'm still surprised he managed to find the location of the private meeting with the Daimyo, your jobs are to spy on the man and report any activity to me" he ordered sternly.

The two ROOT members nodded their heads due to the orders, "Hai Danzo-sama" they said, Danzo then glanced towards Sai.

"As for you Sai you will work alone but as our inside man, if I am not mistaken you are close to the Hokage and I want you to act as his friend and gather as much information as you can. Are we clear?"

"Hai Danzo-sama" replied Sai stoically attempting to show no visible emotion, inside however he was quickly plagued by the thoughts and the guilt of betraying his companion, teammate and most of all, friend.

Danzo could see a slight reluctance in the expression of Sai, he grinned. This was the reason as to why he partnered with the elders of the Hyuga Clan, he was going to rid the doubt and reluctance of all his soldiers, and they will all be forced to follow his demands.

"Sai, Torune and Fu, I need you three to come with me to my office. I need to begin a small experiment" he said with a sinister smile, the three gulped but nodded their heads as Danzo led them to his office, behind them the Hyuga Clan's elders also followed.

Sai did not have a good feeling about this but he had no choice but to obey Danzo's orders. Once the group arrived in his office he made Sai, Torune and Fu each sit in one chair as one elder attended to each of them.

The three ROOT members were nervous and curious as to what Danzo had in mind, then they felt the Hyuga elders place the palm of their hand onto their foreheads, after a few seconds they suddenly felt unbelievable levels of pain emit from their foreheads, the three screamed in pain as they were being subjected to Danzo's seal placement.

In the back Danzo watched on not even affected by the screams of his soldiers, 'Enjoy while you still can Uzumaki, your reign as Hokage will be a short one I assure you' he thought to himself silently with a sinister smirk adorning his scarred and bandaged face.

* * *

 **Konoha**

The morning sun rose over Konoha once again and it indicated the Hokage's second day on the job. As Naruto woke up in his tent he realized the importance of the day, today was his first council meeting as Hokage of Konoha. After preparing for his meeting and gathering his notes to discuss at the meeting, he summoned a few shadow clones within his large tent order for them to study the files and books he gathered from the library and the books given to him by the two elders.

After that he made his way to the Hokage Tower, on his way there he was bombarded by the citizens of Konoha all greeting and congratulating him, they were also asking him for autographs and photos while one or two asked for Naruto to kiss their baby's heads. Being new to the attention he was getting he entertained all of their requests.

Naruto also noticed that there was also a suddenly a mob of fan girls all directing their affection towards him, he blushed at their requests for dates and at the attentions he was getting from women, it only served to boost his self-esteem. But despite the amount of fan girls flocking towards him he knew that none of that truly mattered to him, he was only after the heart of one girl.

He sighed at the thought, he didn't want to be sleeping around with women like his deceased sensei Jiraiya, he would have rather just have one woman who he could settle down with for the rest of his life. He already knew who the woman he wanted to spend his life with was, but the question truly was would she feel the same way towards him. As Naruto thought about his non-existent love life he also thought back to Hinata and her confession to him during his battle with Pein.

Naruto flinched at the thought of how she almost died, he felt guilty about loving Sakura when Hinata was loving him this whole time, and he felt guilty for being unaware of her feelings for such a long time. He ran a hand across his hair and sighed at the depressing thoughts, he decided he had to speak to Hinata about this as soon as he can.

Naruto then remembered his duties for the day, he sweated nervously upon realizing that today he was going to be having his first council meeting; he had been pre-occupied quickly by his new fans and his non-existent love life. With urgency he made it there on time, he quickly apologized to his fans and ran as fast as he could to the Hokage Tower, upon arrival he headed up the stair and made his way to his office first.

Once there he summoned clones once more to continue with the new stack of paperwork for today, then Naruto headed up to the final floor of the tower to enter the large conference room which housed the Konoha council meetings.

Upon entering all the eyes were suddenly on him, there seated in the large conference table seemed to be clan heads, on each of the seats of the clan heads was a flag attached to its back with the logo of the clan they represented. He also noticed that four of those seats were unoccupied. Also sitting on the table were six representatives of the civilian council, they were seated near the end of the table while at the head of the conference table was the seat for the Hokage.

Seated nearest to the Hokage's seats were the elders of Konoha, all noticed his arrival and quickly stood up to bow respectfully except for Danzo, the old warhawk refused to stand up and bow, instead he opted to remain seated with an emotionless and unimpressed expression on his face.

Naruto bowed back and made his way to his seat, as the rest of the council members sat on their respective seat.

"Welcome Hokage-sama to your first council meeting. I believe it is time for us to begin" Homura said respectfully as Naruto nodded his head.

"I agree Homura-san" replied the blonde Hokage.

"Very well then, I believe it would be best for each of use to introduce ourselves first and begin our roll call" Homura continued.

Then one by one the members of the council individually stood up to introduce themselves, the first were the three elders, then were the six civilian council members. Each of which seemed to be in the age of forty and over, from the six representatives four of which were man and two were women, most of them were successful businessmen and businesswomen in Konoha.

Then finally there were the clan heads of Konoha, each of which began to introduce themselves and the clan they represented, they went by it in alphabetical order, the same way they were organized in the table.

The first to introduce themselves was Shibi Aburame, "Greetings Hokage-sama, my name is Shibi Aburame and I am here to represent the Aburame Clan" he told him as he bowed respectfully. Naruto recognized the man as Shino's father and smiled, only now did he realize how many of his friends' parents represented their own clans as the head. Then Naruto noticed the reserved man walk over to Naruto as he handed him a tanto, Naruto looked confused for second but bowed graciously as he thanked the older man.

As Shibi made his way back to his seat Koharu leaned over to Naruto's ear, "The clan heads each brought you gifts Hokage-sama, this is a customary tradition for each new Hokage and this is done to gain favour and show their respect to you. Each gift represents their clan" she whispered.

Naruto nodded and smiled at the gift, he wondered what each clan head had in store for him

Next to stand up was Choji's father, "Hokage-sama, I am Choza Akimichi, I represent the Akimichi Clan" he proudly declared before standing up to hand Naruto an Akimichi Naginata, this was the main weapon of his clan, once again Naruto thanked the man for the wonderful gift.

Then the third to stand up was the stoic Hiashi Hyuga, he bowed at the presence of the young man and smiled, 'He reminds me of his father' he thought to himself before he began his introduction.

"I am Hiashi Hyuga and I am here to represent the Hyuga Clan as it's leader" he said as he made his way to hand Naruto a Yukata made from the finest silks, it's design was both simple and delicate, it was a black Yukata with a dark red sash as it resembled his own haori. Naruto accepted the gift happily, he smiled finally finding proper formal gear for himself.

Kiba's mother then stood up with a feral grin as she stared down Naruto intimidatingly, Naruto gulped and began to sweat nervously due to the intense glare of the woman, "Hokage-sama, I am Tsume Inuzuka. I've heard so much about you from my sochi Kiba, anyway I am here to represent the Inuzuka Clan" she said as she handed Naruto an Inuzuka fang necklace.

The fifth member to stand up was a man Naruto recognized quite well, the clan head of the Nara Clan and Shikamaru's father Shikaku Nara. He stood up calmly and sighed, "Introductions are so troublesome" he confessed as the whole council sweatdropped at the Nara's laziness.

'Like father like son' Naruto thought to himself in an amused tone before Shikaku began to speak.

"We already know each other Hokage-sama but I am Shikaku Nara and I am here as Jonin Commander and as the clan head of the Nara Clan" he said, his gift to Naruto however was unlike the others, this time it was a shogi board which Naruto gladly accepted.

Then a man the Hokage didn't recognize began to stand, upon first glance Naruto almost mistook him for the deceased Jonin Asuma Sarutobi. He appeared to have the same spiky hairstyle and the same beard as Asuma, but physically he was slightly shorter and smaller than the man.

"Hello there Hokage-sama, we have not met but I am certain you've met my father, son and my older brother, in fact I've heard a lot of things about you from the three of them, all good things I assure you" he said before chuckling.

"My name is Daisuke Sarutobi, Hokage-sama. I am the son of the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the younger brother of Asuma Sarutobi and I am here to represent the Sarutobi Clan" he said as Naruto's eyes widened, he now recognized why the man seemed slightly familiar.

Upon hearing the news about him being familiar with his son, Naruto guessed that this man might be the father of Konohamaru. Naruto smiled as he met the man and the new head of the Sarutobi Clan, if he was anything like his father, brother or son then he and Naruto will likely have a good relationship.

Daisuke also walked towards Naruto as he handed him his gift, as the two men met for the first time they also shook hands. On behalf of the Sarutobi Clan, Naruto was handed a traditional clan Bo Staff designed much like the Sandaime's Adamantine Staff with the Monkey King Enma.

As Daisuke made his way back to his seat, the final member of the clan heads stood up, Naruto recognized the man as Ino's father, "Greeting Hokage-sama, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Inoichi Yamanaka and I am here to represent the Yamanaka Clan" he said as he walked towards Naruto and handed him a katana as a gift, the katana was the weapon which represented their clan the best.

Naruto then stood up and bowed towards the whole table, "Thank you everybody for your gifts. As Hokage I will make sure to treasure each of them and consider them as an act of friendship from each of the clans" he said before the members of the council began to applaud the young man.

"If it's alright with all of you I believe the meeting should now commence" continued Naruto as the whole council room nodded.

"Hokage-sama, I suggest we begin with your plans concerning Konoha's reconstruction. Currently this is the village's main issue and we would like to hear your input on the matter and how you plan to fix this current problem" advised Homura.

Naruto nodded as he began to address the situation at hand, "During the past few days I have been thinking of methods in which we could restore Konoha to its former glory. The first part of the reconstruction I suggest we should focus on would be the crater left by Nagato's attack. I plan on gathering the earth user within Konoha to help resurface the crater first and foremost" he explained as the council nodded in agreement over Naruto's initial steps towards their reconstruction plan.

"I also plan on recalling back our ninjas away on lower level missions, recon missions and border patrol duties, we will need their efforts and as much help as we could get in order to rebuild our village" Naruto continued.

"Is that all Hokage-sama?" asked one of the civilian council member not yet completely convinced by Naruto's plans of reconstruction.

Naruto shook his head, "Of course not, this is just the beginning. As you all know Yamato-taichou has the rare ability of Mokuton" he said, the council members nodded their heads.

"Well with this unique ability I plan on assigning Yamato as the leader of the reconstruction project of Konoha, his Mokuton abilities are invaluable in this situation. My plan involves him leading the reconstruction and myself as the overseer of the project" he told the council confidently as the council began to see the logic in Naruto's choices and decisions.

Shikaku adopted a thinking pose as he strategized other methods to further increase the potential rate of reconstruction for Konoha, "Hokage-sama, how about we also ask for help from our allies from Suna to speed up our restoration" he suggested.

Naruto smiled at Shikaku's thought, he was thinking along the same lines and then some, "I'm glad you brought that up Shikaku-san, I was thinking of the same thing. But Gaara is not my only option, during my days as a genin I took part in various high-ranking missions and from them I managed to meet a wide variety of people, many of which could help us with the reconstruction" he replied.

Naruto then went on to list the people he had in mind, all of which shared a friendly connection and bond with the Hokage and Naruto was confident that they were willing to help him in his time of need. He told the council of his plans to ask for help from the likes of Tazuna, Shibuki, Gaara, Konan, Toki, Chikara, Koyuki and Haruna.

The council as a whole were surprised to hear Naruto's inclusion of Konan but Naruto managed to convince them to trust in both him and the former Akatsuki member, they reluctantly agreed but if anything were to happen the blame would directly go to Naruto. Naruto was more than happy to carry that burden. He would now soon write letters to each of the people he previously listed and he plans on sending a genin team for each letter. Aside from that he also planned on sending out a few more genin teams to also gather and purchase resources from other lands.

Once the talks of reconstruction ended the council members were quite impressed with their young Hokage, he composed himself as a true Hokage should and he offered logical and impressive plans to fix the current situations of Konoha.

But despite all of that what surprised the council most were Naruto's connections, the young man already had the support of various leaders, major political figures and even Daimyos. All of this could prove usual for the future, Naruto's two advisors Koharu and Homura also noted this down, these connections of Naruto has the potential to be beneficial in the long run.

The only one who remained unimpressed with Naruto was Danzo Shimura, during the whole meeting he waited for Naruto to slip up so that he could use that opportunity to prove to the council that Naruto was not ready for the position, he was however disappointed to see that no such opportunity presented itself to him.

After their discussion on Konoha's reconstruction, Naruto then brought up his own ideas concerning promotions and the council members all listened attentively and as unbiasedly as they could for each of Naruto's six recommendations for promotions.

The first of the promotions was for a Chunin promotion, he told them that he wished for Konohamaru Sarutobi to be promoted for his heroics and actions during the invasion of Pein wherein he managed to defeat one of the Six Paths of Pein in order to save his sensei Ebisu, and he managed to do so by performing the Rasengan.

Naruto couldn't help but smile as he recommended his unofficial student for the promotion, he was proud of his 'little brother' and his student for his growth as both a ninja and as a man. Ultimately the council decided unanimously that Konohamaru did deserve the promotion, in the back Daisuke grinned at his son's promotion.

The next one Naruto had in mind was a promotion for the longtime Chunin and member of the Hokage Guard Platoon, Iwashi Tatami. He wished for him to promoted from Chunin to Tokubetsu Jonin due to his long tenure as both a Chunin and member of the Hokage Guard Platoon, he has also shown himself to wield the skills of the Tokubetsu Jonin, unlike the previous recommendation the decision took much longer but in the end they decided he too was worthy of a promotion.

Then there were Naruto's four final promotions, all of which were to the rank of Jonin. Three of which were for Ibiki Morino, Genma Shiranui and Anko Mitarashi. The first two choices had not been all that much conflicted unlike the final choice. The council saw it fit for both Genma and Ibiki to be promoted for their longstanding loyalty to Konoha and for all their actions and achievements during their tenure as ninjas of Konoha.

However Anko was a much more controversial choice than any of them, most of the council were still unsure of her loyalty due to her previous association with the Snake Sannin Orochimaru. After much debate the council voted to a deadlock, but Naruto had been the tie-breaking vote and naturally he chose in favour of Anko, and so the snake mistress was chosen for a promotion, the council members against her promotion decided to trust in their Hokage's judgement.

The final promotion Naruto had in mind consisted of his good friend, Naruto suggested for Shikamaru Nara to be promoted from a Chunin into a Jonin, the council members were all surprised but none more so than Shikaku Nara. After a lengthy discussion concerning this possible promotion the council was swayed by Shikamaru's tactical, strategic and leadership abilities but were disappointed by his lazy and unmotivated nature. However ever since the death of Asuma nobody could say that Shikamaru was the same person, that unfortunate event proved to be an eye-opener for the young man. In the end though it was Shikamaru's victory over Hidan which sealed the deal, the council members all decided that he truly was worthy of promotion.

Naruto smiled at the council, all six of his recommendations panned out to be promoted. Now after their discussion on promotions they began to talk about the budgeting of Konoha's many departments. The debate concerning this topic lasted a couple of hours, Naruto made it clear that he wished to dedicate most of their funds from the Daimyo, trades and savings on the reconstruction of Konoha, nobody could disagree with that choice, it was logical for him to choose that at this point.

But it would be the following priorities that would spark up debate between the council, Naruto wished to prioritize both education and healthcare after the reconstruction effort, some were agreeing with Naruto while the others leaned towards Danzo's ideas to use their funds for military purposes. Naruto clearly disagreed with Danzo seeing as how their military was already the strongest among the five nations, he believed that healthcare and education were simply more important at the moment.

The argument for Konoha's funds soon ended with slightly more than half of the council agreeing with Naruto after further convincing by the Hokage himself, naturally Danzo was not pleased with the outcome but he resisted showing any emotions or feelings concerning the matter.

After the council's lengthy discussion with the council the meeting was finally called to an end, Naruto's first meeting was officially over and it took up to four hours of their time. Despite the amount of time spent, Naruto was still pleased with himself as he managed to accomplish the goals and plans he had set out to do beforehand.

As the members of the council began to walk towards the exit, each congratulated Naruto once more on his new position and for his accomplishments, after a while the last remaining people in the office were the two advisors, both Koharu and Homura approached the blonde Hokage.

"Tell me Hokage-sama; how did you find your first council meeting" Homura asked the Hokage.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was certainly much longer than I thought but I believe I managed to achieve the things I set out to do" he answered with a smile.

Homura nodded, "Well I must say Hokage-sama you did quite well considering this was your first".

"Why thank you Homura-san, I do have a question though concerning the council. Why are there four vacant clan head seats?"

"Allow me to explain Hokage-sama" intervened Koharu, "Those four seats are for the clan heads of the Kurama Clan, Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan and the Uzumaki Clan. As you know those four clans are quite frankly lacking members, Tsunade-hime was among the last known Senju within Konoha, you are among the last known Uzumaki clan members within Konoha, and finally your former teammate Sasuke is the last known Uchiha. As for the Kurama Clan, their heir is still unable to fulfil her duties seeing as how she is still trying to master her abilities" she explained.

Naruto nodded at the logical argument, he did in fact remember the pale girl known as Yakumo Kurama. He only hoped she was doing well wherever she was. One thing did bother Naruto though, why wasn't he the representative of the Uzumaki Clan?

"Koharu-san, as you previously stated I am an Uzumaki, why was I unable to represent my clan and could I also represent my clan now as Hokage?" he asked curiously.

"You were unable to represent your clan in the past due to your age, a council member should at least be 18 years old, this could only be bypassed if the Hokage allows you to be a clan head even if you are under that certain age, and it seemed that both the Sandaime and Godaime did not use this loophole" she answered.

Naruto nodded, he understood why he probably wasn't chosen. For the Sandaime it was probably because he was too young and he was just beginning to grow up, while for the Godaime it was probably because he wasn't ready for the responsibility just yet. He didn't mind not being chosen to represent his clan, there were no hard feelings, he was just curious to know why he hasn't represented them.

"Unfortunately Hokage-sama, you are also now unable to represent your clan seeing as how you are Hokage. As Hokage you should act as the unbiased judge and leader of the group, and also we cannot give you a second vote during meetings, you already have one as Hokage and you also have the final say in things, we cannot give you another vote as clan head seeing as that may be unfair. However your clan could be represented by any relative you may have, any heir you may soon have and if you are married then your wife could also represent your clan even though if she may not be an Uzumaki to begin with, just as long as she takes your last name then she is capable to represent your clan while you act as the Hokage" she explained.

"Alright, I understand" replied Naruto before the three left the council room, the two elders made their way to their offices as Naruto did the same. Once he entered his office he went to work as he begun to write letters requesting for help from his friends in high places. It took him an hour at most and in front of him were now eight letters, each of which to be sent to a different person.

Once he was finished with his initial task he called out to his ANBU, the four arrived in front of him awaiting orders. "ANBU, I require you to bring me Shizune first, then Shikamaru Nara, Ibiki Morino, Anko Mitarashi, Genma Shiranui, Iwashi Tatami and Konohamaru Sarutobi as a group second, after them I need you to also bring in Yamato-taichou, and finally I need you to also call as much genin teams as you can, I don't care who they are. When you call them I need them to arrive in that order as well" he ordered them as the four members vanished in sight.

Naruto decided to be productive while waiting and so he worked on his paperwork once again, after a while Shizune appeared with Wolf escorting here, "We did as you were told Hokage-sama, we brought Shizune-san and the others you called for are waiting in the lounge" he said to the Hokage.

"Thank you Wolf" Naruto said before the ANBU operative vanished and returned to his spot in the tower. The young Hokage then looked towards the young Jonin, when he glanced at Shizune he saw her smiling at him.

"Congratulations Naruto-kun, it seems that you actually did it, I knew you were going to be Hokage one day but I didn't expect it to be this early"

Naruto smiled at the woman he considered to be like an older sister to him, "Thank you Shizune-neechan, I actually called you here today to ask you to be my assistant like you were to Baachan".

Shizune looked slightly surprised at the offer but then she smiled at the Hokage, "Of course Hokage-sama, I'll happily be your assistant" she chirped happily.

Naruto smiled at her acceptance as he stood up to shake her hands, "Thank you, this really means a lot to me, and frankly I really need your help to organize things" he told her sheepishly causing her to smile.

"Don't mention it Naruto, I am more than happy to be your assistant and secretary" she assured him.

"That's great Shizune-neechan. I guess we could begin tomorrow, for today I suggest or you to get some rest first before the job begins"

Shizune nodded, "I'll do just that Naruto-kun, see you tomorrow" she said before exiting through the front door, but before she leave the office Naruto called out to her.

"Shizune, before you leave could you please call in Konohamaru, Shikamaru, Genma, Anko, Ibiki and Iwashi to come here"

"Of course Naruto-kun" she replied.

Naruto went back to his seat as he awaited the ninjas he called for, soon one by one they arrived and Naruto smiled upon seeing them.

"What did you call us here for gaki?" asked Anko as Ibiki groaned, "Anko, this is our Hokage, he isn't the same person we met during the Chunin Exams" he said.

Konohamaru was also standing in the room but he was admiring his boss in awe, he had finally become Hokage as he predicted, seeing Naruto as the Hokage made Konohamaru smile, this only strengthened his resolve to be the Nanadaime Hokage.

Naruto chuckled at the interactions of both Ibiki and Anko, he did not notice the look on Konohamaru's face. "Well actually I called you all here for certain reasons" he told them as the six began to straighten out in front of the Hokage.

"I would like to congratulate each of you first and foremost, during my council meeting earlier today I spoke to the council about all six of you and I nominated each of you for a promotion" Naruto told them with a smile, the six ninjas were surprised by the news.

Naruto then grabbed the six scrolls laid in front of his desk, each scroll contained the items and documentation for their promotions. Naruto handed each one to the six ninjas in front of him, Konohamaru was given a Chunin scroll, Iwashi was given the Tokubetsu Jonin scroll, and Shikamaru, Ibiki, Anko and Genma were given the Jonin scroll.

Each gratefully accepted the scrolls gleefully, the happiest among the group were both Anko and Konohamaru. Both had large smiles plastered on their faces, the others merely smirked at their promotion.

The Hokage then faked a cough to get their attention, the six straightened out and stood proudly as they listened to their Hokage, "As you can see all of you have been promoted, I personally vouched for each of you to be promoted and I firmly believe that all of you have what it takes to live up to your expectations. I know that all of you will exceed the expectations placed upon you as Chunin, Tokubetsu Jonin and as Jonin" he said.

"This may be troublesome Naruto but thanks, I guess" said the lazy Nara, Naruto merely rolled his eyes with amusement, he expected this kind of reaction from his friend.

'Still as lazy as ever' he thought to himself, Konohamaru also stood proudly, "Thanks boss, you won't regret this".

"I know I won't Kono" replied the blonde man, Naruto then stood up and looked at each of them, "All of you are now dismissed, but Kono and Shika I need you two to stay here".

The six nodded, Ibiki, Genma, Iwashi and Anko all left the office while the two youngest ninjas of the six stayed behind, as Naruto ordered.

"So why do you need us here Naruto, or should I say Hokage-sama" Shikamaru said with a smirk as he teased his old friend.

Naruto groaned at the teasing of Shikamaru, "I'm never going to get used to that, and you don't need to call me that, I'm too used to you calling me by my name. That goes for you as well Kono".

He then looked the two straight in the eye, "I actually also called you two here for different reasons, both important though" he admitted as the two ninjas looked intrigued. Naruto looked at Shikamaru first before he spoke with his lazy friend.

"Shikamaru, as you know I am Hokage, and I admit I still have a lot to work on and honestly I'm learning as I go. This is why I need an advisor, you were the first person who came to mind when I thought about that and to be honest I could think of nobody better"

The young Nara groaned, he had been expecting something such as this from Naruto, he thought about the pros and cons of the position of Hokage's advisors, he admitted that he could truly help Konoha as an advisor to Naruto.

Shikamaru sighed, "I'm just not sure Naruto, this position is just so…"

"Troublesome?" Naruto asked with a straight face before he gazed towards the newly promoted Jonin, "Shikamaru, I know this job may be troublesome but this is something both you and I must do. Asuma believed in you to protect the king, and this is the best way to do so without being Hokage. Were no longer carefree kids Shikamaru, we can't skip class with Kiba and Choji anymore, hell I'm responsible for the whole village while you three are being groomed to lead your respective clans. We do not have the luxuries we used to have as kids".

Shikamaru looked at Naruto slightly surprised, he thought about what he said and he realized the blonde man was right, he began to chuckle at his friend's explanation. Meanwhile Konohamaru also looked at Naruto surprised at the serious side he was showing, he was confused however when Shikamaru began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you would convince me what was right from wrong, I never even thought I'd see you as mature as you were just then" he admitted as Naruto looked at his friend with a deadpan expression.

"So what'll be your answer Shikamaru?" he grumbled in an annoyed tone.

"As troublesome as this may be, I guess you were also right. Count me in" he said with a smirk on his face, Naruto grinned at the man and began to shake his hands.

"This is great Shikamaru, I guess we could begin tomorrow as well. Shizune already agreed to be my assistant and she will begin the same day as you" he said as Shikamaru nodded.

"Alright Naruto, if that's all then I guess I'll take my leave then"

Naruto nodded, "Sure, no problem. See you tomorrow and don't be late" he replied as Shikamaru left the office, now Naruto diverted his attention to Konohamaru.

The Hokage looked at the young Sarutobi sheepishly, "Hey there Kono, sorry about that".

"No worries boss, being Hokage is a busy job and I understand" he said with a smile that could rival Naruto's.

"So what did you need boss?" he asked, Naruto merely smiled proudly at his student as he patted him on the head, Konohamaru looked at his rival and boss in a surprised manner and as he saw his face he noticed a look of pride coming from him, the same look his grandfather gave him when he was younger.

"I heard about your heroics during the invasion, from what I heard you mastered what I thought you Kono. I really am proud of you" he told him as Konohamaru began to blush at the praise.

"Arigato Naruto-niichan" he told him as tears began to well in his eyes, he quickly lunged towards his older brother and cried on his chest, "I was so scared Nii-chan, I thought I was going to die".

Naruto was surprised at the sudden contact, he hugged Konohamaru back. Naruto knew what it felt to fear death, and he was close to it many times, he guessed Konohamaru was new to the feeling and so he did his best to comfort him.

"You're not going to die anytime soon Konohamaru, not as long as I can help it. I mean who is going to replace me as Hokage one day"

Konohamaru looked up at Naruto with a surprised expression, he wiped the tears of his face and stepped back from the hug. Konohamaru smiled back at his rival, "You're right Nii-chan, I won't die until I become the Nanadaime Hokage" he told him with a renewed vigour.

Naruto smiled at his younger counterpart, he walked over and ruffled his hair. "I know you will be Hokage on day Kono, I have complete faith in you".

"But for now you're still a Chunin, I also have a possible B-Rank mission for you if you're interested. This will be your first mission as a Chunin" he said.

Konohamaru then forgot about his tears, he suddenly began to jump excitedly at the prospect of a high-ranking mission worthy of his talents. "Finally I get a mission worthy of me, so what's the mission?" he asked with gleams in his eyes.

Naruto chuckled at his reaction, he was reminded of himself when he was younger. He walked over to his desk and looked over the letters he wrote, he grabbed the one meant for Tazuna and handed it to Konohamaru.

"Kono, I need you to gather up your team and go to the Nami no Kuni. I need you four to deliver this letter to a man named Tazuna, he owns a building company. They were old friends of mine, when you give them the letter I also want you to escort them back to Konoha and act as their protection. Are we clear?"

Konohamaru nodded, the smile stayed on his face. "Crystal" he said confidently as Naruto nodded.

"Good, you're dismissed Kono. Good luck" he said. Once Naruto was done talking with Konohamaru, Naruto waited patiently for Yamato to arrive in his office.

After waiting a few minutes the Mokuton user entered the office with a grin on his face, Naruto smiled at seeing his Jonin captain, "Yamato-taichou" he greeted.

Yamato shook his head amusingly, "You don't need to call me taichou anymore Hokage-sama, you outrank me now" he said teasingly, "Plus my name isn't really Yamato, it's actually Tenzo".

Naruto was surprised for a second, "Well okay then Tenzo" he said, "Let's get back to business Tenzo, I actually called you here to discuss the reconstruction of Konoha" explained the Hokage.

Tenzo nodded and was slightly surprised at Naruto's sudden seriousness, "During my council meeting we had to discuss this same topic, and during that time I recommended that you be the leader of the reconstruction project, this is for the best due to your Mokuton Kekkei Genkai" he said as he began to explain his whole plan to reconstruct Konoha to Yamato.

Once Naruto finished explaining his overall plan to the former ROOT member he noticed the slightly surprised look at his former captain, "Are we clear on that Tenzo?" he asked.

"Hai Hokage-sama, I will do my best to lead the current project" replied the Mokuton user.

"That's good, now tell me, how long do you think it will take us to resurface the crater with the use of all our earth users?" asked the Hokage as Tenzo placed his right hand on his chin to emulate a thinking pose.

"I would say it will take us roughly a week to fill up the crater" answered Yamato as Naruto nodded.

"Very good, I also called you hear to inform you that I wrote letters to other leaders to seek help for our reconstruction, I will send the genin teams sometime later today and I will update you on the matter. If all goes well the reconstruction of Konoha could be achieved much quicker than most anticipated" explained the Hokage as Tenzo smiled at the good news.

"Well that pretty much all I wanted to talk about Tenzo, you're dismissed" said the young Hokage as Tenzo nodded, the Mokuton user then left the office leaving Naruto and his clones.

Once Yamato left his office Naruto was left to his final duty for the day. He had to now send out genin teams of B-Rank missions to either deliver important letters to world leaders or gather and purchase resources required for Konoha's restoration. He walked out of his office to the waiting room as he called the genin teams one by one, each of which were given a mission by Naruto.

During this same time Konohamaru was already informing his team about their mission, his teammates were surprised to say the least when they saw Konohamaru in his new Chunin uniform. Once they were broken out of their shock the four quickly departed to Nami no Kuni in search of a drunk builder named Tazuna.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office Naruto sent out one genin team to Sunagakure to ask Naruto's friend the Kazekage for assistance for their repairs, another team was sent to Yukigakure in order to deliver Naruto's letter to the famed Koyuki Kazahana, of course the team was more than happy to partake in this mission, it wasn't every day you get the chance to meet a celebrity of her status.

A third team was also sent out to deliver another letter, this time it was to Tori no Kuni's Daimyo, Toki another old friend of Naruto and the current ruler of the land. Once after he debriefed that team another was also sent off on a mission, this time in search of Haruna, the Daimyo of Na no Kuni. A fifth team was also given a similar mission, theirs was to head over to Udon no Kuni to deliver Naruto's message to the Daimyo of the land, Chikara.

The sixth letter was sent to Shibuki, leader of Takigakure. The letter here was not only meant for help in the reconstruction effort, due to Takigakure's vast resources the team was also sent to purchase wood and metals to help the village's repairs.

Next was a seventh letter, this time it was being sent to Amegakure to the new Amekage Konan. The team Naruto planned to send were more than nervous of their mission, this was due to Konan's role in the invasion of Pein, so instead of sending genin Naruto decided to spare them from this ordeal. He instead sent an ANBU squad for him, the five ANBU members held no fear unlike the genin team and the ANBU members quickly made their way to Amegakure to seek help from the Amekage.

Then finally, one last letter had to be delivered. This final letter was to Shion, the priestess and leader of Oni no Kuni. He blushed as he remembered his encounter with her, he couldn't believe how dense he was back then when he had agreed to make babies with Shion without even understanding what she truly meant. He recalled a somewhat similar experience with Koyuki as well, he could only sigh at his past experiences with women, with them and Hinata it only proved one thing about Naruto. He was as dense a rock, especially when it came to women.

He shook his heads of such thoughts, after he sent those genin teams away on those missions he called for some more using the help of his ANBU. This time the genin teams called to the office in order to travel to various areas such as Kusagakure and Yugakure to purchase resources for the reconstruction effort, the teams nodded and quickly left to fulfill their missions.

Naruto was now left alone in his office, sensing that there was nothing else of importance for him to do he continued to help his clones with the dreaded paperwork for the rest of the day.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

In a hidden base of the Akatsuki, Madara along with Team Taka at patiently awaiting for the return of Kisame and Zetsu, after a few hours the two arrived in the base as well. Kisame grinned manically upon seeing Sasuke, he was reminded of his old partner Itachi.

Sasuke, Karin and Jugo paid the shark-like man no mind, Suigetsu on the other hand salivated as he noticed the legendary Samehada behind his back.

Upon seeing the whole group finally gather in the base, Madara faked a cough to gather their attention, the six noticed and all looked at the masked man as if awaiting orders.

"Good, all of you are here. Kisame, I called you back because we need you for a much more important mission, we need you to help us attack the Five Kage Summit and capture the Naruto brat. Are we clear on that?"

"Crystal" replied Kisame, he had no problem with that whatsoever. In fact he was actually rather excited for the mission, it wasn't every day that you could attack all five of the Kages at once. He was full of excitement to finally test his skills against ninjas of his calibre.

"Good, we have a month to go before the summit begins, and so for the next month I need all of us in pristine condition. You will all stay here in our base to train and prepare for our attack. Understood?"

The six ninjas all nodded at Madara orders, "Now any questions?" he asked this time. This time nobody nodded their heads.

"Excellent, while you all stay here I must leave. Before we attack the summit I wish to recruit a member to our group, I believe he could be vital or our group" he explained to the group as the six of them looked at their leader with curiosity.

"Who do you plan on recruiting?" Sasuke asked as he narrowed his eyes on the masked Uchiha in front of them.

"A man you and your team are all familiar with actually, Kabuto Yakushi" he said with a sinister smile, Sasuke glared at the man upon the mention of that name.

The name Kabuto sent shivers down the spines of Karin and Suigetsu, the two groaned upon hearing of Akatsuki's plans on including that man's name.

'Oh kami, anyone but that man. He gives me creeps as much as Orochimaru did' Suigetsu thought to himself.

'Not that freak, first I have to deal with the water bastard now the snake freak as well. Kami probably hates me, I know it' Karin frantically thought to herself.

Sasuke meanwhile had no problem with the choice, though he did not like the man he had to admit he was a powerful ninjas and could be a valuable ally during their attack on the summit.

Madara looked at the reactions of everyone, nobody seemed to disagree except for Karin and Suigetsu. He decided to begin his search for the snake, "Ja Ne" he told everybody before vanishing using his space and time ninjutsu.

* * *

 **Entrance of Konoha**

The three Kumo ninjas Omoi, Samui and Karui all stand shocked in front of the destruction which laid before them.

"Umm Samui, is this really Konoha?" asked the confused Omoi.

Samui looked just as bewildered as her two teammates, "I think it is Omoi, I mean look at the Hokage Monument" she said as she pointed to the mountain with the carved faces of the Hokages.

"What the hell happened here?" yelled Karui.

"I don't know Karui, but we should probably head over to the Hokage's office now" replied Samui both Karui and Omoi nodded dumbly.

The trio continued to walk up to the tower, as they walked around the ruins of Konoha they couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Konoha, before they arrived here the five nations all acknowledged Konoha as the greatest power among them all, but now as they walked around the crater now known as Konoha they couldn't help but wonder what kind of power or attack could have led to such destruction, and now that Konoha was in this state they also wondered who is now considered the most powerful nation from the five.

As they made their way to the tower the people of Konoha looked at them strangely, there were whispers, murmurs and rumours floating around concerning their presence. The trio paid them no mind, after a few minutes they arrived in the tower and they were met by the tower's receptionist.

The receptionist showed them the directions to the Hokage's office, as they climbed up the stairs where they were met by Shizune, the brunette then led them to the Hokage's office.

She knocked into the front of the door and the four of them entered, upon entering the office the trio of kumo ninjas had widened eyes as they saw the Hokage, he appeared to be a man their age and he was accompanied by another man who looked just as young as he did.

As Naruto sat in the chair he raised an eyebrow at his three visitors, Shikamaru was beside him acting as his new advisor, the two of them were surprised that Kumo ninjas were in Konoha seeking an audience with them.

"Thanks Shizune, you're dismissed" Naruto told his new secretary, Shizune bowed and left the room leaving the five ninjas alone.

The trio still looked at him confused, they were expecting to see the famous Tsunade Senju as Hokage, thinking it was some sort of practical joke Karui got annoyed at the blonde young man in front of her.

She marched to the front of the desk angrily before Samui and Omoi could stop her, she banged both her fists on the desk, "Enough of this practical joke brat, where's the Hokage" he demanded.

Naruto was surprised at the woman's ferocity, he clenched his fists to control his anger at how rudely the woman treated him, "You're looking at him" he replied calmly.

"I'm in no mood for jokes whiskers, where's Tsunade, the real Hokage".

In the back Shikamaru was sweating nervously as he noticed Naruto's facial features, his face was contorting to rage, an unbridled rage in fact. He hated being called whiskers, he was as self-conscious about his whiskers as Choji was with his size.

Naruto was looking at the woman in front of him with his mouth agape and with a tick mark forming in his forehead, "Did you just call me whiskers?" he asked her.

Karui rolled her eyes, "I did just call you whiskers, whiskers" she boldly said.

In the back the two other ninjas were getting nervous, they believed that he may truly be the Hokage, before Samui could apologize to the Hokage Naruto began to flare his chakra.

Naruto got annoyed at the whisker remarks, he decided to scare the three ninjas in front of him. As he flared his chakra the room around them vibrated and cracks were beginning to form on the floor, the air was even affected asking it hard to breathe, the trio of Kumo ninjas began to sweat nervously, they have never experienced this amount of chakra before. Not even the Raikage or their sensei Killer Bee had this much.

After a few more seconds Naruto ceased his chakra, the three then fell on their knees gasping for breath, Naruto looked back and saw Shikamaru in the same position. He offered the man a sheepish smile as an apology. He also noticed the room and there were cracks around his floor and walls due to the density of his chakra, Naruto sighed at the damages he caused, he wasn't able to properly control his temper. He made a mental note to call for Yamato for repairs.

He looked back at the three visitors, they were all dishevelled from his chakra and he noticed a look of fear coming from them, he smirked when he saw that, nobody called him whiskers and got away with it.

"So tell, do you believe me now?" he asked the three.

Samui was the first to get up, she walked to the front of the desk and bowed respectfully to Naruto, "Hokage-sama my name is Samui and I lead the three of us, I am a Jonin of Kumogakure and my companions are both Chunin, the two of them are Omoi and Karui. I apologize on the behalf on my team Hokage-sama, please forgive my subordinate Karui for her rude remarks. Could we please all start over Hokage-sama?" she pleaded nervously.

Naruto nodded and smiled at the blonde woman, "All is forgiven, Samui-san, just don't let it happen again".

"If I may be so bold as to ask, what had happened to Tsunade-sama?" Samui asked.

Naruto frowned, "Unfortunately as you just saw we were attacked by Akatsuki recently and Tsunade-sama placed in a coma due to it, in the end I was chosen as her successor" he explained as the Kumo Jonin nodded, the two other Chunin in the room stayed silent in the back, they kept their mouths shut in fear of angering the Hokage.

"I see, for whatever its worth were sorry Hokage-sama"

Naruto nodded and smiled them, "Thank you Samui-san, but enough of the formalities I suggest we get down to business, why are you here in Konoha?"

"It's about our common enemy Hokage-sama, the Akatsuki have attacked our sensei and the Raikage's brother and they managed to capture him. He is the Jinchuuriki of the Hachibi" explained Samui as Naruto and Shikamaru both looked at her clearly shocked by the unfortunate news.

"Very well, I will help the best I can. We in Konoha have faced each of the Akatsuki members, at least from those we know of and we have even managed to kill a few of them. Could you please tell me the members who attacked your sensei?" he asked them as he grabbed the files on Akatsuki which were inside one of the drawers of his desk.

"We managed to identify only one of the members Hokage-sama, all in all there were four of them"

"That's odd, Akatsuki always go only by pairs" Shikamaru interjected.

"I agree, every time we encountered Akatsuki they came by pairs. So who was the member you identified?" asked Naruto as his curiosity was growing by the second.

"We recognized him as a missing nin of Konoha, Hokage-sama" Samui said before breathing in a deep breathe, "It was Sasuke Uchiha".

Naruto looked at her with widened eyes while his mouth was slightly agape, he flinched when he heard the name of his best friend mentioned with the likes of the Akatsuki. Shikamaru glanced towards Naruto to see his reaction and he noticed Naruto attempting to hide his emotions but only failing in doing so.

"What did you say? Are you certain it was him?" he asked frantically as she continually nodded.

"Hai Hokage-sama, he matched the description and he even used his Sharingan" she said.

Naruto looked down on his desk averting eye contact from the three kumo ninjas, his mind and emotions were all over the place, he couldn't believe Sasuke had joined Akatsuki, it couldn't be the same Sasuke, but even though he continually attempted to deny it, in the back of his mind he knew they were speaking the truth.

The Kumo ninjas and Shikamaru looked at Naruto worriedly, he hadn't spoken for atleast a couple of minutes, Naruto shook his head after he realized that the four other people in the room were staring at him questionably.

"I'm sorry Samui-san, but I can't help you with this"

Karui then lost her temper once more, "Why can't you help us, this is an urgent matter. If you say Akatsuki really did destroy your village why can't you give us any information about them?"

Samui looked and the Chunin and hushed her, "Karui stop, we don't want to further anger the Hokage after your display earlier" she whispered to her as she nodded reluctantly. Karui then looked back at Naruto and bowed before walking back to Omoi.

"I apologize once more Hokage-sama but she is right, why can't you tell us any information on the man. He clearly betrayed your village and attacked our sensei, he is a threat to us all" Samui told Naruto.

"I'm truly sorry Samui-san but there is nothing I could tell you. As you stated he is a rogue ninja, he left the village three years ago for Orochimaru. All I could tell you is that he wields the Sharingan and nothing more, we simply have not seen him in years and thus we lack any substantial knowledge on his strengths and weaknesses" Naruto lied coolly, Samui still looked hesitant to believe Naruto but she was forced to at this point.

"Now, is there anything else Samui-san?"

Samui nodded as she remembered the main purpose of their visit, "Actually yes Hokage-sama, the Raikage sent us here to inform you of a Five Kage Summit, he asks for you to be present in this event, and it is to take place within the end of the month in Tetsu no Kuni. The Tsuchikage, Kazekage and the Mizukage have all accepted the invitation, all were waiting for is for you".

Naruto soaked in the information, he nodded at the three of them. "Tell him I'll be there, thank you" he told them. The three kumo ninjas bowed before the Hokage respectfully, Samui thanked Naruto on their behalf and then the three left the office to return to their home, their mission was complete.

Once the three were gone Naruto sighed at the revelation, he slumped at the news of his best friend. With his current emotions being a mess, he looked under the desk and opened the lowest drawer, upon opening it Naruto smiled as he found the sake Tsunade had left.

Naruto went in to grab it but before he got there he suddenly couldn't move his body, he had forgotten about his advisor's presence in the room, "Usually I won't let you drink this early and on the job, but quite frankly after hearing the troublesome news I think I need a drink myself" Shikamaru admitted, he let go of his bind on Naruto and the blonde young man brought out the sake and two cups, one for each of them.

"We can't get too drunk Naruto, we'll only drink a little. We cannot make this a habit" Shikamaru warned Naruto, the Hokage nodded and he prepared their drinks.

Once the drinks were prepared both of them quickly drank their first glass, "What do you think about all this Shikamaru?"

"Honestly, first day on the job and its already troublesome. If I was in your position I believe it's time to forget about your promise, Sasuke has made his choice Naruto. If I was you I would have given them the information they needed, but then again you're the Hokage and I'm just your advisor, the final decision will always be yours" he told him firmly.

"You don't understand Shikamaru, Sasuke was like a brother to me, Sakura also loves him, I can't get in the way of her happiness. As much as I love her she will always love the teme, and as much as it hurts I could still live with that knowing that she's at least happy with him"

Shikamaru sighed, "I don't claim to understand Naruto, I don't have the connection you, Sakura and Sasuke have. All I'm saying is what I would do in your position and what I would advise for you to do. So what are you going to do now?" he asked calmly before drinking another cup of sake.

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know what to do. I guess I'll think over the situation and make a decision as soon as I can. I'm just too conflicted on the matter" he admitted sadly.

No longer wanting to speak about this depressing topic the two instead began to drink their problems away, but one thing nobody noticed was the ink mouse hidden in the dark corner of the room.

Once the two began to drink the mouse scurried on its way to return to the one who summoned it, as it ran out of the tower and into a tent, it quickly ran to the lone individual inside the tent. The lone individual was a pale and skinny young man, he grabbed the ink mouse and dropped it into a blank scroll, soon the ink mouse turned into words which informed the man about the meeting which took place with the Hokage just earlier.

The young man sighed, "I'm sorry Naruto, you and the rest of Team Seven have been good to me and you have been an invaluable friend, but I can no longer disobey Danzo-sama' he thought to himself as his fingers grazed the new seal which adorned his forehead.

He couldn't help but clench his fists in anger, he was being forced to betray his friends. His master was once again using him as a disposable weapon but this time it was to be against the man who changed his life for the better.

Unfortunately though with his current situation he was unable to disobey his master's wishes, and so with a heavy heart Sai made his way back to Danzo to inform the man of the upcoming Summit meeting and of Sasuke Uchiha's involvement with the Akatsuki.

* * *

 **Glossary**

Amegakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Rain

Hi no Kuni - Land of Fire

Konohagakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Leaves

Kusagakure no Sato - Village Hidden in the Grass

Nami no Kuni - Land of Waves

Oni no Kuni - Land of Demons

Sunagakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Sand

Takigakure no Sato - Village Hidden by a Waterfall

Tetsu no Kuni - Land of Iron

Tori no Kuni - Land of Birds

Udon no Kuni - Land of Noodles

Yugakure no Sato - Village Hidden in Hot Water

Yukigakure no Sato - Village Hidden Among Snow

 **Author's Notice**

Well here is the end of my second chapter. I hope all of you liked it, i decided to to make this chapter focus on Konoha's politics and on Naruto's growth as a politician and a leader. Next chapter i plan on finally having Naruto begin his training once more and then he also meets his friends once again before he heads off to the Kage summit. As usual if anybody has any criticism or opinions on the matter, or even ideas to help the story do not hesitate to comment or pm me.


	3. The Truth Hurts

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Author's Note: Well here you go everybody, here is the third chapter of my story. I hope all of like it and in the story there will be a small NaruSaku scene, but there will also be a NaruHina scene to resolve the relationship between both Naruto and Hinata. This story will still be NaruSaku though, nothing changing that.**

 **Also I decided to get all the political stuff out of the way, next chapter the summit meeting will begin and so will the action. Thank you to everyone who has supported my story so far, I still can't believe I already got 100+ favourites and follows, hopefully there will be more to come in the future.**

 **I'd also like to thank everyone in the comment section who have given their opinions and ideas to help with the story, it's all much appreciated. Thanks also to those in the comment section who have supported my story as of late, I hope you all find this chapter enjoyable as well.**

 **Once again please pm me if you have any questions about the story and I will answer any of your questions, and any form of constructive criticism or ideas are more than welcome, just as long as they aren't hate. Thanks to my viewers and here is chapter three.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Truth Hurts**

 **Konoha**

Ten days has passed since the visit of the three Kumo ninjas, since then Naruto has been holed up in his office. Saying that Naruto did not take the news of Sasuke joining the Akatsuki well would be a major understatement, he had been overly stressed during the past week and he dedicated almost all his time working in his office to distract him from his current dilemma.

He could not in his right mind think of any reason as to why Sasuke would join Akatsuki, he always thought that once Sasuke killed Itachi he would return to Konoha, but things do not always go how you wish them to go.

During the past few days Naruto also moved out of his personal tent and into the Hokage Tower itself, he managed to change one of the vacant rooms in the tower into his own personal bedroom, as for the bathroom and kitchen, both were already available in different areas of the tower. Naruto practically lived in his workspace, he spent all his time working non-stop and the stress was getting to him. Not only was he worrying about Sasuke and Akatsuki, he was also anxious about the reconstruction of Konoha, the Jonin Vote in a few months and the upcoming Five Kage Summit.

News about the Five Kage Summit was quick to spread, all of Konoha were aware of the upcoming meeting between the Kages, however what the people of Konoha didn't know was the main reason for the summit meeting. Naturally Naruto kept Sasuke's involvement with Akatsuki a secret for now, the capture of the Hachibi Jinchuuriki was confidential in order to preserve Konoha's morale. It would be a massive blow for Konoha's citizens if they were to learn that as of now Akatsuki held eight out of the nine tailed beasts.

However there were some good news to go with the bad as well, during the past week Konoha has managed to resurface the large crater left by Pein's attack, all the available earth users of Konoha pitched in to help and it made the process much more efficient, since then the construction of infrastructure has also begun. With Yamato's Mokuton abilities he managed to instantaneously form a few houses, homes and shelter for the people of Konoha.

At this point in time however none of that resonated with Naruto, he was still in his office dedicating all of his time and energy towards continuing his non-stop completion of the dreaded paperwork.

In the back of Naruto's seat was his advisor Shikamaru, the Nara was watching over him for the past week and had seen enough of this, he was getting worried about his friend. He was not used to seeing such a workaholic Naruto, he knew that the latest news about Sasuke really affected his friend and it was about time he put a stop to this.

"Naruto" called Shikamaru as he used his clan techniques to bind Naruto using his shadows, the Hokage ceased his writing since he couldn't move a muscle from the neck down, instead he turned to his advisor with an annoyed expression, Shikamaru winced slightly as he saw the blonde young man's baggy and bloodshot eyes, he knew from then on that Naruto was working himself too hard, even he with his limitless energy needed rest and relaxation every now and again.

"What do you want Shikamaru?" he grumbled clearly irritated by the intrusion, it was clear that he has not been in the best of moods ever since he learned of Sasuke's recent decision, the stress and work which came from his job didn't help either.

Shikamaru remained calm despite Naruto's reaction, "Listen Naruto I think enough is enough. You have been working for the past week with barely any breaks, and I'm pretty sure you have barely even slept since we learned of Sasuke's decision. Look I know that the whole situation is troublesome, it's stressing me out as well but it shouldn't affect you as much as it has. I'm not doing this for me Naruto, I'm doing this for you. Me and Shizune and getting worried about you, what you're doing is not healthy" he explained calmly.

Naruto could only sigh, he understood where Shikamaru and Shizune from and he was grateful for their concern, and he was more than aware of how the recent events really took a major toll on him and his wellbeing. He nodded reluctantly at his current predicament, he himself knew that what he was doing could not be good for him, but it served as a distraction, at least for a certain period of time, he was aware that he had to confront this problem one day.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru, it's just that I'm in a rock and a hard place right now, I don't know what to do about Sasuke. He's my best friend and I made a promise to Sakura-chan to bring him back no matter what, and yet he also joined the organization which is out to get me" he said as he ran his calloused hand over his blonde hair.

"It's alright Naruto, you and I are both stressed over the situation but what you need now is for you to relax, do something which doesn't include paperwork in the office. Kami knows you need it" replied the lazy Nara.

Naruto obediently nodded his head, "I guess your right Shikamaru, but what do you suggest I do?" he asked his advisor.

In turn Shikamaru adopted a thinking pose, at the moment options were limited due to the damage done by Pein's attack, recreational areas such as the hot springs or the theatre were destroyed during that attack.

Suddenly Shikamaru remembered the reconstruction efforts done by Yamato and the people of Konoha, "Why not train, Naruto? Ever since the crater was resurfaced, Yamato and the others have begun rebuilding certain areas of Konoha, in fact they've built a few training grounds so far. One is even restricted as the training grounds for the Hokage" he advised to the blonde young man.

"I guess you could be right, training does help me calm my nerves" Naruto mumbled lightly,

"How about this Naruto, while you go and train I'll call all of our friends and arrange a small get together, today is the grand re-opening of Ichiraku's just so you know, aside from the training grounds the reconstruction effort also rebuilt the ramen stand as a sign of gratefulness towards your actions" said Shikamaru with a victorious smirk on his face, he knew that he now had Naruto's attention.

Naruto's eyes were now wide, he hadn't known that his favourite restaurant was re-opening today, he had been too preoccupied with his work as the Hokage as of late.

He looked towards his advisor with a smile on his face, a smile that he has lacked for the past week. "Alright Shikamaru you win I'll go. So where is this training ground?" he asked.

Shikamaru's smirk widened, "The training ground isn't that difficult to find, just look for the massive sign with the name Training Ground One, this is the area reserved for your personal use. While you're away at the training grounds I'll also call all our friends and reserve the ramen bar, it's time we catch up again; I'm sure the rest of the Konoha 11 will be happy to see the two of us again".

Naruto nodded with a smile on his face, it was finally time for him to gain some much needed time away from the office. He gathered his things and the storage scroll which contained the scrolls, books documents and files from the Konoha Archive Library and quickly made his way to his brand new personal training ground.

As Naruto explored the newly resurfaced Konoha, he was more than impressed with the efficiency of the reconstruction effort led by Yamato. Naruto continued to walk around, he basked in the bare village, at the moment the village of Konoha was much like a blank canvas, the village could be reformed however Naruto saw fit. It showed that Konoha now begins anew, the village is given a fresh start away from its chequered past, and Naruto will be the one leading this next generation of Konoha.

Naruto was soon broken from his thoughts as he noticed the training ground in front of him, there was a sign along the entrance showing that it was in fact Training Ground One, the area was also placed with a large metal fence and around the general area roads were also finally being built. The Hokage couldn't help but smile at the progression of Konoha's reconstruction.

He then entered the training ground and Naruto whistled as he admired the large area around him, as he continued to explore the training ground he realized it was practically based of the area he created his most powerful technique the Rasenshuriken.

The training ground was somewhat like a new and improved version of his old personal grounds, it still contained the large waterfall in the middle of the forest clearing but around the area there were also miniature streams and a small lake, it was also improved with the inclusion of target dummies and three replicas of the tree stumps from the original Team Seven training ground.

Naruto was nostalgic as he walked to the tree trumps, he remembered better days when it was just him, Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke, although he did respect and appreciate Yamato and Sai as well, he much preferred his days with the original team. The young blonde man chuckled slightly as he recalled his bell test, these may not have been the same tree trumps when he was a genin but they were near exact replicas of the tree trumps where he was tied to during his bell test with Sasuke and Sakura. Those truly were better and simpler times for Team Seven.

He then walked away from the pieces of wood, he decided it was time to stop reminiscing about the past. He further explored the large training grounds, one thing was for sure though concerning training ground one, it was not lacking in forestation, the area was covered with trees of all sorts; Yamato really took the time and effort to make this training ground as functional and beautiful as possible.

As Naruto continued exploring the large training ground he noticed that in a secluded area of the training ground there was even a medium sized Shinto temple which was surrounded by Sakura trees and built on a portion of land surrounded by a small body of water, and a red wooden bridge connected that isolated land to the whole training ground.

He walked across the bridge towards the temple, he noticed the intricate designs and as he walked closer to the temple itself he noticed that as per custom a pair of animal statues guarded the entrance towards the temple, from the previous temples he's seen they have commonly been dogs, but for this particular temple it was decorated with porcelain foxes. Another thing Naruto admired was the Cherry Blossom trees surrounding him, they truly were beautiful to him, much like their namesake.

All in all the whole training ground was perfect, it truly was an area fit for a Hokage. The Shinto temple proved to be a calm and relaxing environment, it serves as a place of serenity and peace suitable for concentration, a perfect area for Naruto's meditations. While on the other hand the rest of the area were more than suitable to help Naruto with his ninjutsu training. Naruto had to personally thank Yamato for this training ground, it was absolutely flawless.

He soon returned to the forest clearing where the waterfall was located, now that he was done exploring it was finally time to begin his training. Upon arriving to his desired area within the training grounds he suddenly formed a familiar hand sign.

Naruto gathered his chakra and began to form five hundred total clones, once they were formed they began to arrange themselves into five groups, all of them containing a hundred clones each. Once the groups were all formed them were each given one task to focus on for training and they each made their way to separate areas of the training ground to focus on their given task.

From the five groups the first was tasked with mastering the Rasengan alongside its variations without the need for clones to form the jutsu, this group of clones were handed the Yondaime's notes on the Rasengan from the large storage scroll Naruto brought along with him.

The following group of clones were in charge of wind manipulation, they were given the jutsu scrolls for wind techniques. This set of clones also made their way to a private location where they could train their wind manipulation in private.

Next was the third group of clones, this time they were to focus on Naruto's chakra control. This group of clones took advantage of the areas around them, some used the trees, water and even the waterfall itself to improve Naruto's chakra control.

A fourth group of clones were also dedicated the files he acquired concerning the reigns of the past regimes, for the past ten days aside from paperwork he also dedicated his time to focus on these, and during that time he managed to learn and understand the trials and tribulations of the first two leaders of the village.

From what he had read he realized one thing, the Nidaime Hokage was nothing short of a genius. With his contributions and ideas such as the ANBU system, the Uchiha Police Force, and the Ninja Academy, Tobirama Senju was truly a great and wise leader for Konoha.

At this point in time he was now beginning to read about the reign of the Sandaime Hokage, naturally due to his reign being the longest among the five previous Hokages, the Sandaime's files clearly towered over those of the Shodai, Nidaime, Yondaime and Godaime. Naruto knew that it was going to take him a long time before he manages to completely understand the arduous reign of the man he considered as a grandfather figure in his life. But that did not deter Naruto from his goals.

That certain group of clones then grabbed the files of the past Hokages and went ahead to station themselves around the Shinto temple, there the clones will study in peace, without any form of distraction.

Then there was the fifth and final group of clones, they were given the rest of the storage scroll and they were tasked with learning the supplemental jutsus that Naruto managed to find during his visit to the Konoha Archive Library. The supplemental jutsus consisted of the likes of Fuinjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Space and Time Ninjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, and Clone Jutsu.

Once the clones all scattered to their designated areas, Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief, he was more than grateful for Kakashi's advice concerning this form of training, this could make his goal to surpass his predecessors much easier.

When the clones all left the area Naruto weaved through another set of hand seals and soon he summoned Fukasaku once more.

"Hello again Fukasaku-sama" Naruto said while bowing respectfully to the toad sage.

The elderly toad smiled at the Hokage, "Naruto-chan, it's good to see you again. Is there anything you need?" he asked.

Naruto nodded his head, "Actually Fukasaku-sama I was hoping to ask for your help in training" he confessed.

"Do you even need to ask Naruto-chan? I am more than happy to help you with your training. So what is it you need help with, and what else you are training in at the moment?" he inquired.

Naruto smiled at the elderly toad, "Arigato Fukasaku-sama, I wish to be further trained in taijutsu and in Senjutsu. Currently I also have clones working on wind manipulation, chakra control, the Rasengan, Space & Time Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu and Clone Techniques" he answered.

Fukasaku nodded in understanding, "I understand Naruto-chan, before we begin I must return to Mount Myoboku for equipment we will use in this training, while I'm away I suggest for you to go ahead and gather nature chakra" he explained.

Naruto nodded in understanding as he went into a meditative, as he did this Fukasaku returned to his home to gather the required equipment. Naruto continued meditating for ten minutes, soon after there was a plume of smoke and in it appeared Fukasaku, the elderly toad also brought his own storage scroll and it were the items he brought with him for Naruto's training.

Naruto opened his eyes and the orange pigmentation around it showed that Naruto was now in Sage Mode, he was prepared for the training ahead of him.

"I believe it's time for us to begin Naruto-chan" said the elderly toad.

"I agree, so what did you bring back for our training?" curiously asked by the blonde young man.

Fukasaku handed the storage scroll to Naruto, "Inside are other notes and scrolls left by Jiraiya and Minato, the two of them were masters in Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu while your father was also a genius when it came to Space & Time Ninjutsu, I'm sure the scrolls inside could help you and your clones with their training" he explained.

Naruto smiled, he knew that this really would come in handy for him in the long run.

"I also placed a few other scrolls inside, I thought seeing as how you are the new toad sage you will be interested in learning to master Senjutsu techniques and toad based techniques, such as the ones Jiraiya used" he further explained.

Naruto nodded, "Arigato Fukasaku-sama, I'm sure these will all be useful for me and my growth as a ninja" he replied in a respectful and grateful tone.

Fukasaku smiled at the respect he was being shown by the young man, he had truly grown up in such a short amount of time, seeing as how he was now tasked with leading a whole village he clearly had to grow up quicker than most.

"Before we begin though Naruto-chan I believe I have a training method which could help you improve your speed, stamina, strength and overall physical fitness, this will also help you improve your taijutsu." said Fukasaku as he handed Naruto a pair of chakra weights.

Naruto was surprised as he noticed the items being handed to him, he realized it was just like the weights Lee used during the Chunin Exams.

"This is a pair of chakra weights Naruto-chan, if you apply more chakra into it the weight will increase, and vice-versa. Try it on now and tell me what you think"

Naruto placed the weights on his ankles and on his wrists, he sensed that the current weight on him lacked the resistance he would have wished so he pumped chakra into it to further increase the weight, once it reached the desired weight Naruto smiled.

"I think this could really help me, if Lee was able to be as fast and strong as he was with this training method, I'm sure I can as well. So shall we begin Fukasaku-sama?" he asked.

Fukasaku nodded with a small grin on his face, the two then began to go to their respective Frog Kata stance, once they were prepared both toad sages lunged towards each other to begin their taijutsu training.

* * *

Hours soon pass and Naruto was panting, the young man was out of breathe, the training session he has had was truly a gruelling and arduous. But despite the difficulty of the training he knew full well that the fruits of his labour will one day benefit him.

Naruto noticed that setting sun and he realized that it was time for him to return to the Hokage Tower to prepare for his small party at Ichiraku's Ramen, for Naruto there was no better way to reward a day of hard work than with good old ramen.

The young Hokage then stood up from the grass, his clones were dispelled earlier on and he managed to gain the knowledge from their training, Fukasaku also left earlier on once the two finished their taijutsu and fitness training. He then began to walk over to the tower and while on the way there he was once again greeted by the people of Konoha.

Once he arrived back in the tower he quickly made his way to the shower, he didn't want to be sweaty and smelly when he met up with his friends. After the long shower he changed into another set of his usual clothes, then he walked over to his office where he was met by Shikamaru.

"It seems your back, I take it you enjoyed yourself" he said with a smirk on his face.

Naruto smiled at his advisor and nodded in confirmation, "You got that right Shikamaru, I really needed that training session, I managed to release my pent up frustration and stress during my taijutsu spar with Fukasaku" he replied.

Shikamaru nodded, "So are you ready for tonight?" he asked.

"Of course I am" Naruto replied confidently.

"Well then let's go" said Shikamaru.

Naruto nodded as the two begun to walk over to the ramen bar, Shikamaru was leading Naruto since he was unaware as to where the ramen bar was built. After five minutes they finally arrived in their destination and Naruto was surprised with what he saw, in front of him was a new and improved Ichiraku's, it was no longer just a small Ramen stand, now it was the size of a normal restaurant.

The two entered the establishment and upon entering the two noticed all their friends already there mingling with one another, Naruto also noticed that Ichiraku's interior design was now also larger than the previous establishment and it also had the capacity to hold a larger amount of people.

Naruto was brought out from his thoughts when he noticed the rest of the Konoha 11 approaching them, Naruto smiled at his group of friends, it has been some time since they all last saw each other, in fact the only one of the group he has seen for the last ten days was his advisor Shikamaru.

"Hey everyone they're here" joyfully yelled Choji, the ninjas all looked towards the entrance and they were glad to see the arrival of their two friends.

Naruto and Shikamaru were then surrounded by most of the Konoha 11, the large group of teen ninjas then went on to bombard Naruto and Shikamaru with either questions or congratulatory greetings.

While Naruto did his best to answer as much questions as he can, he also began to scan the room to see who was present in this somewhat large get-together. He noticed that aside from the Konoha 11, also present in the event were their former teachers, in the back of the restaurant Kakashi, Guy, Yamato, Iruka and the clearly pregnant Kurenai were watching as the younger generation interacted with one another.

Also in the back were Sakura and Hinata, the two young ladies didn't mob Naruto as the rest of their friends did, instead they watched happily as Naruto caught up with their former classmates and upperclassmen. Naruto noticed that there was one strange omission, Sai was nowhere to be seen, and he wondered where the young pale man could be. He and Sai may not have known each for that long and his initial meeting with Sai may not have been pleasant but he still considered him as a part of Team Seven nonetheless.

The interactions continued for a few more minutes, after a while Naruto managed to sneak past the group and finally order his ramen.

"Ayame-neechan, one pork ramen please" he exclaimed joyfully.

Ayame smiled, despite Naruto being the Hokage now he still had a boyish enthusiasm when it came to ramen, "Coming right up Hokage-sama" she replied teasingly.

Naruto smiled as he went on to sit down on one of the available tables, as soon as he sat down he noticed one person approaching him, when he gazed upon the individual he saw that it was his sensei, Kakashi Hatake. The grey haired Jonin sat on the seat opposite of Naruto's.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei" Naruto greeted enthusiastically.

"Good to see you Naruto, it seems congratulations are in order" he replied proudly, "you always seem to surprise me more and more Naruto, and this is no exception".

Naruto smiled at the strange praise he given by his sensei, "Arigato Kakashi-sensei" he said, the two men were then noticed another person approaching them. The two smiled as they noticed the third member of their team arriving, the pink haired medic Sakura Haruno walked towards their booth and sat on the chair next to Naruto.

"Hey Sakura-chan" Naruto exclaimed happily, Sakura smiled sweetly at the two men, she was happy to see Naruto after quite a long time. Her happy expression quickly then turned into a small scowl, as she approached Naruto she lightly bonked him on the head.

Naruto gave a slight grimace of pain due to the hit by Sakura, he looked towards the pink haired Kunoichi, "Sakura-chan, what was that for?" he moaned.

"That was for avoiding all of us, I mean it's been ten days Naruto and from what I heard from Shikamaru, you've been held up in your office. I mean that's unhealthy even for you, stop being an idiot and realize that you can't do it all alone and you cannot overexert yourself. I mean even you need rest once in a while, you can't go on all day everyday working, not even Tsunade-shishou was like that" she said in a concerned and angry tone.

While Sakura scolded Naruto, Kakashi watched in amusement at the interaction of his two students. Despite Naruto being the Hokage and strongest ninja in Konoha now, he was still intimidated and scared when it came to Sakura, Kakashi couldn't blame him though, Sakura was downright scary when she wanted to be.

On the other hand, Naruto was holding his head in pain, the petite Kunoichi really packed a punch, and with her temper she was a force to be reckoned with. But despite the hit he took he knew that this was just her way of showing her concern, this is when Naruto realizes that she really does care for him. Behind her tough exterior was a kind and caring young woman.

As Sakura continued to scold Naruto, Kakashi decided it was time to intervene, "That's enough Sakura, I think he's learned his lesson. Besides he is our superior now" he said calmly, Sakura nodded and huffed indignantly before sitting down on the seat beside them.

"I've actually been meaning to talk to the both of you, and since the two of you are here I think it's that there is no better time than now" Kakashi said in a serious tone. Both Naruto and Sakura stopped their actions, they were surprised by the sudden serious and sombre tone used by their sensei.

"What's up Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi sighed, "I've been meaning to say this for some time to the two of you, I'm sorry" he said.

Naruto and Sakura were surprised at their sensei's apology, truth be told they were also confused as to why he had to apologize to the two of them.

"Why are you apologizing Kakashi-sensei? You've done nothing wrong" Naruto replied, Sakura nodded in agreement, both were slightly worried about their sensei, for the time that they have known him they have never really seen Kakashi in such a dark mood.

"I have done many things in my life which I regret, but this regret is for something I did not do" explained the grey haired Jonin, his two students remained quiet in order to allow Kakashi to explain his regret to them.

"Naruto, when I saw you chosen as Hokage I was extremely proud of you, but when I saw that I realized that I had no part in that. Both you and Sakura have grown to be fine ninjas, and I have to say that it was because of both Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama" he confessed sadly.

Naruto's eyes were slightly widened at the confession of his sensei, he had no expected something such as this from Kakashi. Sakura was on the same boat as Naruto, she was just as confused and surprised at seeing this emotional side of their sensei.

"I remember our time as Team Seven back when it was just you two, me and Sasuke, I vividly remember those days and even then I neglected the two of you. I focused all of my attention on Sasuke, I admit a part of it was because of a promise I made to a friend but also another part of it was because how much of myself I saw in Sasuke, when I was young I was exactly like Sasuke, in fact my previous team acted like the three of you" he said as he reminisced about his complicated past as a part of Team Minato with Obito and Rin.

"Look you two, I'm not here to make excuses, I came here to confess my failures as a sensei and for that I am sorry, if I could go back in time to correct my mistakes then I would. I've had many regrets in my life and this is one of them, I never truly became the teacher I should have been to the two of you" he continued in a sad tone.

"Enough, Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said, both Sakura and Kakashi looked at Naruto surprised at the small outburst, they also looked around the room and they were grateful that nobody seemed to pay much attention to their conversation and Naruto's outburst, their friends just continued mingling and catching up with one another.

"You have nothing to apologize for Kakashi-sensei, even though in terms of ninjutsu we didn't learn much from you, what we did learn were values and beliefs which made us who we are today" Naruto said seriously which surprised both Kakashi and Sakura, the pink haired Kunoichi was more surprised due to Naruto's eloquence.

"Naruto please, do not make excuses on my behalf, I mean I only taught you two tree-walking during our first months together and even after that I only focused on Sasuke, I taught him the technique he used against you for Kami's sake, Naruto. I know I failed and you two have the right to be angry with me, frankly I wouldn't hold it against the two of you" he said but Naruto was having none of it.

"Kakashi-sensei you give yourself too little credit, you were a good teacher to us. You taught us life lessons such as never abandoning a comrade, you taught us teamwork and the importance of comradeship, and without you Kakashi-sensei I never would have learned wind manipulation or even how to form the Rasenshuriken. You are part of the reason I am Hokage, Kakashi-sensei, I have you, Iruka-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei to thank for my growth as both a man and as a ninja.

Kakashi stared at Naruto, he couldn't believe that even despite all of that he forgave him, and not only that he made him see the best in himself.

"Yeah Naruto's right Kakashi-sensei, nobody's perfect and everyone made mistakes, but unlike others you at least confronted your mistakes and you are doing your best to make up for them, that's more than I could say for others" she added on.

Kakashi smiled at his two students, "Arigato Naruto, arigato Sakura, I am honoured to be known as your teacher, and even though I made my mistakes I swear I will make up for them. From now on if you ever need training do not hesitate to call me, I will help you out without a moment's hesitation".

Naruto and Sakura also smiled back at their sensei, from the tone of Kakashi's voice they knew that he was serious about making it up to the two of them.

"Kakashi-sensei, both me and Sakura are also proud to have you as our Jonin sensei, we wouldn't have it any other way"

The grey haired Jonin simply chuckled at his two students, the two of them truly grew up from being the two cute genin to well-respected ninjas of Konoha.

"Could I ask you a question Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said.

"You just did" replied Kakashi with a smirk underneath his face mask, Naruto rolled his eyes at his sensei's dry comeback.

"What was your original genin team like? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I understand"

For Kakashi memories of his old genin team brought him a lot of pain it also brought him fond memories of his earlier days.

"It's alright Naruto, I guess it's time for me to share my past with the two of you", Kakashi then adopted a thinking pose before continuing, "Well first of all my team consisted of me, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara".

"As you both already know I was a lot like Sasuke when I was a kid, I was proclaimed as a genius growing up, in fact I was named a Jonin when I was thirteen. For most of my life I was bitter and I was angry at the world and at my father, my mother died when I was young and so for the first few years of my life I was raised by my father, Sakumo Hatake the White Fang of the Leaf" he explained.

Naruto looked at his sensei with a newfound respect, 'Jonin at 13, man Kakashi-sensei must have been badass when he was a kid' he silently thought to himself with admiration towards the Jonin right in front of him, Sakura shared more or less the same thought as Naruto, she too couldn't believe how quickly their sensei made Jonin, but unlike Naruto she was also surprised to hear the name of their sensei's father. Sakumo Hatake was a man known to be as strong as the Sannin, he had chapters dedicated to his accomplishments in the academy's old history textbooks.

"Early on though when I was five my father committed Seppuku, he risked the success of one the missions to save a comrade's life and ever since then he was ridiculed and disgraced by the people of Konoha, and because of that he took his own life. For most of my life I was angry at the man, everything I did was so that I could surpass him, I hated being associated with my father, it was just like Sasuke with his brother Itachi. But unlike Sasuke and Itachi I found peace, when I was young I loathed my father but now I respect him, he was a true hero of Konoha"

Naruto and Sakura smiled at their sensei, his relationship with his father sounded extremely complicated but at least the man found peace. Kakashi then continued his story about him and his two teammates.

"As for Obito he was a lot like you, Naruto, and even though he was an Uchiha he was never the typical Uchiha. Obito was always energetic, righteous and overly optimistic, and both of you also share the same dream to be Hokage. I'm glad you managed to achieve it" he said with a smile, "Another thing about Obito was that he was always late for meetings and missions, at first me and him hated each other, we saw each other as rivals and we would always compete with one another, I always won our competitions though" Kakashi said.

"So that's why you're always late" Naruto and Sakura simultaneously said, Kakashi nodded in confirmation.

"But despite our conflicts in the past I owe him my life, he saved me from dying and from darkness, he taught me never to abandon a comrade, and he even bestowed me his eye before he died" Kakashi explained with a disheartened look on his face.

"How did he die?"

"I was knocked out at the time and boulders were about to crush me, before I was about to die Obito threw me out of the way and sacrificed his life to save mine. Half his body was crushed by the boulder and I couldn't do anything to save him, before he died he entrusted me with his Sharingan and he also entrusted me to protect Rin" Kakashi answered in a solemn tone.

Naruto and Sakura were saddened by the outcome of Obito's life, Sakura inwardly wished and prayed that Naruto will avoid having the same fate as Obito.

"While Obito resembled Naruto, Rin was a lot like Sakura" continued Kakashi, his two students were broken from their thoughts as they directed their attention to their sensei.

"Rin was very studious and she was a very kind and caring woman, but thankfully she didn't have Sakura's monstrous strength and temper" Kakashi said jokingly, Naruto gulped in fear at the words his sensei muttered about their teammate.

Sakura shot her a sensei a glare, "What was that Kakashi-sensei?" she asked with a sickly sweet tone while clenching her fist, Kakashi realized his mistake and began to apologize, Sakura decided to forgive him and Kakashi chose to return to his story telling rather than invoke the wrath the Godaime's apprentice.

"Rin was also a medic-nin and she was renowned as an up and coming mind in the medical field, Rin was a girl who could do anything she put her mind in. But like Obito she was never able to live long enough to reach her full potential" he said.

"How did she die?" asked Sakura.

"I killed her" Kakashi confessed as a few tears began to well up in his exposed eye, Naruto and Sakura looked at their sensei in both confusion and shock, they had never expected something such as this from their sensei.

"What do you mean you killed her?"

"I killed her with my own hands, during the war Kiri sealed the Sanbi into her so that she could release the Bijuu in Konoha. I managed to rescue her from the Kiri ninjas but it was too late, while we were returning to the village I fought them off one by one but before I killed one of the ninjas, Rin jumped in the way and my Raikiri stabbed her through the heart"

Naruto looked down and shook his head in disbelief, he couldn't even comprehend the losses his sensei has had to endure over the years. Sakura gasped in shock, the pain of killing someone close to you must have been absolutely heart-breaking. It could destroy a man mentally and emotionally having to go though as much loss as Kakashi did.

"For most of my life I had flashbacks about that very moment, sometimes I could still even see the blood of Rin on my hands, I had nightmares of that moment. I felt for a long time that I could have prevented the feelings of pain and grief had I not opened up my heart, and that was why I joined ANBU, I became an emotionless ninja for a certain amount of time, I was a lot like Sai during my teen years. But thankfully I had people show me that there was still good things in life, the Sandaime and Guy helped me realize my mistakes, and for that I am eternally grateful for them"

"So that's why you and Guy-sensei are so close" muttered Naruto, Kakashi wiped away the tears off his face, he nodded at his student and brought back the smile on his face as he remembered his second set of friends once Rin and Obito passed away.

"Yeah, he helped me escape the darkness that was consuming me at that point in time. He, Kurenai, Genma, Ebisu, Asuma, and a few other ninjas from my batch recommended for the Sandaime Hokage to release me from ANBU to be a normal Jonin, those guys really helped me when I hit rock bottom, I guess you could consider them my generations version of the Rookie 9" he explained, he was happy to have friends such as them.

"Were sorry for having you bring up your past Kakashi-sensei, and were sorry for your losses" said Naruto.

"Like I said Naruto, it alright. It was good for me to finally open up to someone, I feel as if a small weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I think it was the perfect time for the two of you to truly know the real me" replied Kakashi calmly.

His two students smiled at him, they were happy to see their sensei find peace amidst all the loss and grief he has had to endure during his life.

Kakashi then broke the silence the three of them held, "There was one other person who really helped me past my dark days, and in fact he was probably the most influential person in my life".

"Oh, and who is that Kakashi-sensei?" asked the young Hokage.

Kakashi gave both his students the classic eye smile, "It was your father" he told Naruto as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Naruto was not at all shocked that Kakashi knew about this, he was the student of the Yondaime after all and he was sure he could see the similarities between both father and son, but what he was surprised about was how Kakashi revealed it so nonchalantly.

"I'm not surprised you knew all this time Kakashi-sensei" he admitted.

"I'm guessing you know as well" he replied as Naruto nodded to confirm his assumption.

"Well that's good, at least it saves me the trouble of explaining it all to you"

"So what was my dad like?"

Kakashi adopted a thinking pose once more, "Well how should I put it? Your father was…." Before Kakashi could continue Sakura interrupted the two of them, both Naruto and Kakashi had forgotten about the presence of the Kunoichi.

"What do you mean Naruto's father, I thought he was an orphan"

Naruto sighed, he was too occupied with his conversation with Kakashi that he forgot that Sakura was there, he was meaning to explain to everyone his heritage one day but he thought telling Sakura would do no harm, he trusted her with his secret and he knew she wouldn't just babble it as if it was gossip, that would be Ino's job.

Kakashi looked at Naruto as if asking for permission to explain the situation to Sakura, Naruto nodded, "Well Sakura this is top secret information that must not be revealed unless Naruto gives you permission to do so" Kakashi first explained.

Sakura looked at her sensei with a deadpan expression, "Like what you just did" she asked. Kakashi realized his mistake, in front of his he noticed Naruto face-palming, "Fair enough" he replied.

Sakura couldn't believe her two teammates, Kakashi may have been a genius but even he was prone to making mistakes; "Idiots" she muttered amusingly while shaking her head in disbelief at the obvious mistake of the two.

"So who is Naruto's father?" she asked.

Kakashi sighed, "Naruto's father was my sensei, the Yondaime Hokage"

Sakura jolted up from her seat and pointed a finger at Naruto as if she was accusing him, her eyes were widened as a look of shock overcame her face, "You mean you're the…." she yelled, but before she could finish Naruto also bolted up from his seat and placed a hand on Sakura's mouth to stop her from revealing too much information.

Naruto glanced towards their friends and he noticed the Konoha 11 and the rest of the guests looking at them in a confused manner, "Sorry about that everyone, just a little outburst, you know how she is" he announced nervously, the guests all looked at one another and shrugged before continuing their previous conversations.

Sakura bit Naruto's hand, "Damn what was that for?" he asked.

"That was so that you would release me" she replied, Naruto sighed and sat down once more, Sakura did the same.

"So is it true Naruto?" she asked, Naruto nodded.

"Yes Sakura-chan it's true, my father is the Yondaime" he replied softly.

"How long have you known? How is that possible, everyone was told that the Yondaime never had a wife nor a child?" she asked.

"I only recently found out, when I went into an eight tailed state during my battle with Pein my father arrived before the Kyuubi was to be freed. When he arrived we talked and that was when I found out that he was my father, I don't know who my mother is though" Naruto answered while Sakura nodded in understanding.

Kakashi then intervened the conversation of his two students, "Actually Naruto you were supposed to be told the truth by either me, the Sandaime or Jiraiya-sama when you either became a Jonin or when you turned 18, your father had a lot of enemies during the war and if we were too announce your heritage back then, then Kumo, Kiri or Iwa would stop at nothing to try and kill you, we may have started another war if we revealed your heritage too early" he explained.

Naruto nodded in understanding, truth be told he had no problem with how his heritage was kept as a secret, it was for the best. He could understand why it had to be done and why the Sandaime chose to do it.

"As for your second question Sakura, Minato-sensei was a very secretive man. He was secretly married but only a few people really knew about it, I was one of those people. Naruto's mother was an interesting individual to say the least" answered the Jonin.

Naruto looked at his sensei with a childish enthusiasm, he was giddy at the fact that Kakashi had further knowledge about his heritage, "You knew my mother Kakashi-sensei?" he asked with a large smile on his face, Kakashi nodded as he gave his student his classic eye smile.

"Yes I did Naruto, her and Minato-sensei were two very influential people in my life, after my father passed away the two of them acted like my pseudo-parents" he replied.

"Could you please tell me who my mother was?"

"Of course Naruto, your mother was none other than Kushina Uzumaki, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero of Konoha. She was a nice and beautiful woman and both she and your father absolutely loved you, you should have seen how excited they were to know that they were having a child soon"

Naruto had a large smile plastered on his face, he had finally learned the identities of both his parents and he couldn't ask for anyone better. He was overjoyed to learn that both his mother and father loved him with all their hearts, and even though he never truly got the chance to meet them, he was proud to be their son.

"How were my parents like?"

Before Kakashi answered he suddenly remembered something, he quickly grabbed the wallet he placed in his back pocket and searched it thoroughly, and once he found the item he was looking for he handed it to Naruto.

As soon as Naruto realized that he was given a photo, his eyes widened. From the photo he could see three young ninjas who Naruto presumed to be a young Kakashi, Obito and Rin, and behind them stood two smiling adults, one of which was his father the Yondaime Hokage but what caught Naruto's eye was the beautiful red-haired woman standing beside his father.

Tears of joy then began to well up in Naruto's eyes, he knew from one glance that the woman in the photo was Kushina Uzumaki, the woman from the photo was his mother. Sakura leaned over to see the photograph clearer, and once she glanced at it she gasped as she saw Naruto's parents.

"Oh Kami, she's beautiful Naruto, your mother was beautiful, and your father looks exactly like you minus the whiskers, I can't believe people haven't noticed that before" she said.

Naruto chuckled, Sakura was right with her remarks. The two were broken off their reverie once again by Kakashi.

"You inherited many aspects from both of your parents Naruto, whenever you're serious or whenever you're goofy you remind me of your father, but when you're being your usual energetic and rambunctious self then you remind me of your mother" he explained, Naruto looked at the Jonin in a confused manner.

"What do you mean by that Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well Naruto, your mother is a lot like how you were as a kid, she was also a prankster and her dream was to be Hokage. She was a troublemaker even when she became an adult, both you and she also have a similar verbal tick, but instead of Dattebayo it was Dattebene. She was extremely nice and in terms of personality you took after more from her than you did Minato-sensei"

Naruto nodded intently, the young Hokage was keen to learn more about his parents and how they were as people, "What about my dad?"

"As for Minato-sensei, you pretty much inherited his looks. Minato-sensei was a shrewd and cunning individual, he was also very shy and reserved, to be honest I always thought you took after Kushina-san more but ever since you were named Hokage I've been seeing more and more of Minato-sensei's qualities in you. During your speech I was reminded of my sensei, whenever you're serious you seem to resemble him more than you do your mother, and quite frankly I think you inherited the perfect combination of attributes from your parents." He explained.

"When you want to, you could be a shrewd, cunning, calm and composed individual making you an excellent leader and an excellent Hokage. But when you're not occupied with your duties as a leader or as a Hokage, you suddenly become a man of the people. You just have that likeable and friendly attitude which draws people close to you and which makes people want to follow you" he continued, Naruto blushed slightly at his sensei's praise.

"Arigato Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said gratefully.

Kakashi then suddenly began to chuckle at the irony of his life, "No problem Naruto. You know it's funny, both you and Sakura remind me so much of Rin and Obito, as well as Minato-sensei and Kushina-san" he said.

"What do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura in a confused tone.

"Remember when I told you about me, Rin and Obito?" he asked, the two nodded.

"Well it didn't end there, you see Obito was madly in love with Rin during our time as a team but Rin had a crush on me. But during that time I was an idiot and I paid it no mind, don't get me wrong I loved Rin but I wasn't in love with her like Obito was, I saw her more like a sister to me. But when the day came that Obito died, with his last breathe he confessed to Rin and she was distraught to learn that all that time he was in love with her, only then did she realize that she chose the wrong person to love, when all she ever really wanted was right by her side. I'm not going to lie, I may miss them dearly but a part of me is happy that at least now in death the two could be together"

Naruto and Sakura looked at their sensei with disbelief, the love triangle between the three members of Team Minato perfectly resembled the relationship of Team Seven.

"As for Minato-sensei and Kushina-san they both remind me of how the two of you are right now. Obito and Rin reminded me of how the two of you were back when you were newly promoted genin. When I see the two of you as you both are today I see Minato-sensei and Kushina-san, just the way you two act brings back memories"

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other and blushed, they knew what Kakashi was implying and they realized he was trying to set them up together. Sakura began to argue with Kakashi, her temper was almost getting the better of her but she refused to give in to it, at least in a public place full of their friends.

"Kakashi-sensei don't make such absurd comparisons" she said in a reprimanding tone, but as Kakashi looked closer he could see both she and Naruto still blushing at his comparisons.

"Come on Kakashi-sensei, surely me and Sakura-chan aren't that similar to my parents" said Naruto while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Kakashi smiled at his two students, even from the display in front of him they were really more than similar than both of them thought.

"Whatever you say" he replied calmly, despite the two of them denying their similarities between Obito and Rin, as well as Minato and Kushina, it all felt like déjà vu for Kakashi.

Kakashi then looked at his two students but with a more serious demeanour, "I've failed many times in my life, for a large portion of my life I always thought I was too weak to protect my father, Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, Asuma and the Sandaime Hokage from their premature death, and I also always blamed myself for being too weak to save Sasuke from the darkness in which he was consumed by. But even though I failed so many times before, I will not fail the two of you, I will do everything in my ability to protect the two of you from the fates of Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei and Kushina-san" he said with a look of conviction and determination.

The Hokage and the pink haired medic-nin were surprised at the sudden confession of their sensei, it warmed their hearts to hear just how much he truly cared about the two of them. During their whole time as a student of the famous Copy-Nin, they were aware that he cared for them deeply but he just never managed to truly show them, but from his words just now and the determined tone of his voice, they could see that he cared for them as their teacher, comrade, friend, mentor and even as a father figure.

"Arigato for everything Kakashi-sensei, we could say the same to you sensei. We will not let anything happen to you, I've already lost Jiraiya-sensei, I couldn't possibly imagine losing you as well" replied Naruto.

Kakashi gave his two students his usual eye smile, Naruto then noticed Ayame approaching them with their orders, and once she arrived on their table she placed the orders of the three ninjas.

"Arigato Ayame-neechan" Naruto said excitedly, Ayame smiled back at Naruto, "Your welcome Naruto-kun" she replied.

Once Ayame left Naruto looked back at his two teammates with his usual foxy grin, "Now come guys, enough of the doom and gloom; were here to celebrate. I guess from now on we could consider our team having a fresh start" he told them.

Kakashi returned the smile, "I guess your right Naruto, were here to celebrate your success and your accomplishments, we should consider this as a stepping stone in our relationship as a team".

"I couldn't agree more" said Sakura, she then grabbed her bottle of water and raised it high; "To Team Seven" she said jubilantly.

Naruto and Kakashi also raised their cups, "To Team seven" they repeated, and once their toast was finished they drank their respective drink before breaking off their chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu" they said simultaneously before digging in to their delicious ramen orders.

* * *

Hours soon pass as the small party finished, after Team Seven's revealing and emotional conversation, the three members returned to partying with their friends. For Naruto it had been a great day so far, he managed to release his pent up frustration and stress through his training session with Fukasaku, and he also caught up with his friends during the party.

As the time flew by, one by one the guests all left the restaurant, until the only one remaining was Naruto, Ayame and Teuchi. Naruto checked for the time and as he noticed how late it was getting, he decided to return to the tower for a decent sleep.

Naruto bid the two goodbye, he was about to leave the restaurant in a hurry to return to the tower but he was stopped as a voice called to him.

"Naruto-kun" said the voice softly, Naruto looked back and noticed that the one calling him was none other than the Hyuga Princess, Hinata.

"Hey Hinata, what's up?"

Hinata blushed in the presence of her crush, she resorted back to her old habit of twiddling with her fingers; "Naruto-kun, could we please speak in private?" she asked nervously in between stutters.

Naruto senses that the discussion was serious, "Of course Hinata, lead the way" he replied.

Hinata smiled meekly and the two exited the restaurant, silence engulfed the two as Hinata led Naruto to the top of the Hokage Monument, Naruto looked around as he stood on top of the Hokage's Monument once more, it brought back memories of his childhood as he stood in his place of refuge and sanctuary.

He glanced towards the blushing Hyuga and he suddenly remembered her confession to him during Pein's invasion, he gulped nervously, he had been meaning to confront her about it but he wasn't necessarily looking forward to it. Naruto hated hurting people close to him be it physically, mentally or emotionally, and he knew quite well that if he confronted Hinata about her confession then it would be painful for her emotionally.

"This is about your confession isn't it?" Naruto asked, Hinata blushed and shyly nodded her head to confirm his assumptions. Naruto sighed as he ran a hand across his hair.

"Hinata, when you first told me that you loved me I felt absolutely honoured that a beautiful woman such as you would love someone like me, but unfortunately Hinata-chan I can't reciprocate your feelings" he said regretfully, Hinata's expression quickly turned from hopeful to heartbroken after mere seconds of Naruto's confession.

Tears began to cascade down Hinata's cheeks, for once in her life she looked at Naruto with anger in her eyes, Naruto was surprised to see the shy Hinata in such a manner.

Then unexpectedly Hinata slapped Naruto out of anger, Naruto fell to the ground as he nursed his right cheek, once he looked upwards what he saw made him cringe in guilt, there Hinata stood with tears running down her face, her eyes were bloodshot from the rejection.

"How dare you" she said spitefully and before Naruto could respond she began to run away, Naruto stood up and went around to look for her but was disappointed to be unable to find her. He instead decided to gather a bit of nature chakra for Sage Mode so that he could pinpoint the location of Hinata, after a few minutes he managed to find her chakra signature and he made his way to that direction.

He ran across the dense forest on top of the Hokage Monument, soon after he came upon a forest clearing and there he saw Hinata down on both knees sobbing, Naruto felt guilt as he saw his friend's weeping form.

He walked over to her slowly, Hinata heard someone approaching, and she wiped away her tears only to find Naruto coming closer.

The lavender haired girl stood up and dusted herself, she looked at Naruto remorsefully, she was ashamed of her actions; "Naruto-kun…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to slap you. I don't know what came over me, I don't usually act like that" he meekly confessed.

To her surprise she saw Naruto begin to chuckle, she blushed in embarrassment, "Hinata you have nothing to apologize for, you had every right to hit me" he said.

Hinata nodded as Naruto continued, "Look Hinata, I'm sorry I can't return your feelings I would do anything I could to make you happy but this I just something I can't do, I don't want to drag you into my mess, I don't want you to be with me knowing that Sakura will always be my main priority, you deserve much better than that, you deserve someone who will love you and treat you as if you were the most important thing in their life, and unfortunately I'm not that man" he explained.

"But we could learn to love each other if given enough time" she replied pleadingly, Naruto shook his head.

"I'm sorry Hinata but I can't do that, I've decided a long time ago that Sakura was the one for me, and even though she may not feel the same way I will accept whatever she chooses, if she chooses me over the teme then I will be the happiest man in the world, but if she chooses anybody else I'll be heartbroken but I will live and be happy just knowing that she is happy" he replied with a sombre smile on his face.

Hinata looked at Naruto's facial expressions as he mentions Sakura's name, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous at how devoted Naruto was to her, she always dreamed that he may one day reciprocate her feelings, but she knew that Naruto's heart always belonged to Sakura.

She continued to cry at the thought, as much as she wished that things could have gone differently a part of her always had an inkling of a feeling that there was no changing Naruto's mind. As she cried she suddenly felt Naruto embrace her, the young Hokage allowed her to cry on his shoulder as he whispered words of comfort towards the weeping young woman.

After the two separated from their comforting embrace Hinata composed herself briefly before she gazed at Naruto with an unwavering stare.

"Naruto-kun, I must confess something".

"I will admit that I do love you but I will not force you to love me back, and I will try to move on. A part of me always knew that this would happen but I always persevered, I always thought that one day we may possibly be together but it seems that won't be the case" she said.

Naruto nodded, he looked at her sadly but was impressed at the sudden confidence of Hinata, throughout her speech she had yet to stutter.

"I really am sorry about this Hinata, but thank you for loving me and for believing in me when nobody else did".

"You don't have to be sorry for anything Naruto-kun, although we may not be together in a romantic sense you still played a major part in my life. You inspired me and you were the source of my strength, it was because of you I strived to be able to be the best ninja I could be, I should be the one thanking you, and so from the bottom of my heart arigato Naruto-kun, for everything"

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, he wasn't used to getting praise such as this, "No problem Hinata, I didn't know I had that effect on you" he replied.

"At least now I got closure, you will always have a place in my heart Naruto-kun but I guess it won't be as my lover" she said melancholically.

Naruto nodded reluctantly, "Don't worry Hinata you will always have a place in my heart as well, hopefully we could still be friends though, I would hate it if this were to affect our friendship in any way" he admitted.

Hinata smiled at Naruto warmly, "Of course Naruto-kun, we'll always be friends. No matter what happens I will support you, and I only hope the both of us find the happiness and love we seek".

"I hope so too, and if things don't go out like planned we should make a pact" he said jokingly.

Hinata looked intrigued at what Naruto had just said, "What do you mean by that Naruto-kun?"

"If the years go by and were still single by the age of 35 then we should get together to avoid loneliness"

Hinata wiped away the tears off her face and chuckled at Naruto's silliness, she then saw Naruto go down on one knee and take her right hand.

"Hinata Hyuga, will you be my backup wife?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Yes, of course a girl always dreams of hearing those words" she replied while giggling, although this was not how she envisioned a proposal from Naruto at least it managed to cheer her up.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself, he then held Hinata's embraced Hinata one final time, "Maybe in an alternative world we could have been together" he whispered in her ear.

Hinata blushed at the sudden contact, "Maybe, but it seems it just wasn't meant to be for the two of us. You are still a very special person to me Naruto-kun and nothing will ever change that, I really hope that you and Sakura-chan find happiness with each other, I'm sure she will see the light one day" she whispered back.

"I hope so too, I really do. I know you will also find love Hinata, and you will deserve all of it"

Hinata smiled warmly at Naruto as the two broke off from their embrace, "Naruto-kun before we go could I ask you for one favour?" she asked while blushing.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he saw her quickly resort back to being nervous, "Sure Hinata, what do you need?" he replied.

Hinata gulped nervously, "Well my dream was to always have you to be my first kiss, and even though you may not feel the same way I feel about you that doesn't change the fact that you were my first love" she said.

Naruto was shocked at Hinata's request, he had not expected such a bold request from the reserved girl, his cheeks reddened at the thought of being Hinata's first kiss, "Umm Hinata are you sure about this, shouldn't you give it to someone special".

Hinata nodded, "That someone special is you, please Naruto-kun it won't affect our friendship or anything, it's just that I want to know how it feels to kiss you, it was always my dream, and I always reserved it just for you".

Naruto nodded nervously, he slowly leaned over to Hinata as she prepared for herself for her first kiss. Once their lips met there were no fireworks, it was a simple chaste kiss and after they separated both sported a blush on their face.

"That was nice Naruto-kun thank you, at least now I know how it feels" said Hinata as she smiled at Naruto warmly.

"Your welcome Hinata, I'm honoured to be your first kiss, you were my first kiss as well" he said smiling.

After hearing this Hinata decided to tease Naruto a bit, "Really Naruto-kun? Wasn't your first kiss with Sasuke-kun?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Naruto's expression quickly turned grim, he blanched as he remembered that particular memory. He shuddered at the thought of his kiss with Sasuke, "Hinata why did you have to bring that up? I already burned that from my memory and now you had to make me remember, that was cruel Hinata-chan" he said while pouting like a child.

Hinata laughed freely at Naruto's childish reaction. Even though Naruto loved another woman, she knew that she would be able move on and find someone to love her as well, but no matter what happens Naruto will always have a special place in her heart as her source of inspiration, friend, first love and confidant.

"Come on Naruto-kun lets go, you have a busy day tomorrow Hokage-sama" she said teasingly.

Naruto nodded reluctantly, he made a note to brush his teeth after remembering his moment with Sasuke, "That was just plain evil Hinata-chan, I didn't know you had it in you" he told her.

"Sorry Naruto-kun, but you have to admit it was pretty funny, although I was pretty devastated at the time" she said.

"How do you think I felt? I kissed the teme, I don't think I ever felt the need to brush my teeth as much as I did back then" he replied.

Hinata chuckled, even though Naruto was now the Hokage of Konoha he was still the same old orange-wearing boy she knew back during her childhood. The two friends then began to walk out of the forest on top of the Hokage's Monuments, Naruto being the gentleman that he was walked Hinata back to the Hyuga Clan's tents, and to reward him for his chivalry she gave him a chaste peck on the cheek.

After that Naruto decided to call it a day, he returned to the tower to prepare for a good night's sleep.

* * *

 **With Sai**

Sai laid in his tent feeling dazed and drowsy, he drowned his guilt away with alcohol but to avail. Despite how much he tried to forget he always felt the guilt of his betrayal, he clenched his fist in anger at the man he considered his master.

Danzo forced him to betray Naruto and Team Seven, Sai claimed that he would rather die than betray Naruto but every man has his limits. He placed his pale hand on the seal which adorned his forehead, he shuddered as he remembered the pain which came with the seal if he should ever be disobedient to the old warhawk.

Sai vividly remembered the day when he first reported his findings to Danzo, that was the day his guilt and grief began to consume him

 **(Flashback)**

Sai was making his way towards the secret underground entrance of the ROOT faction, as he passed through the various security protocols he arrived in front of Danzo's office. Before he knocked he heard someone inside the room say "enter", he reluctantly entered the office only to find Danzo sitting in his desk with his fellow ROOT members Fu and Torune also giving their reports to Danzo.

Danzo appeared to be unaffected by the sudden arrival of his final double agent, this was perfect timing for him since he had just gotten his reports from his two other spies.

"Excellent timing Sai, report your findings to me" he ordered sternly.

Sai nodded hesitantly, "Hai Danzo-sama" he said, while both Torune and Fu also directed their attention towards Sai's report on the Rokudaime Hokage.

Sai then reported the information he gathered when the Kumo ninjas arrived in Konoha, Danzo was more than aware of the upcoming Five Kage Summit but what truly surprised and intrigued him was the capture of the Hachibi Jinchuuriki and the involvement of Sasuke Uchiha with the Akatsuki.

Danzo saw the upcoming summit meeting also as an opportunity for him to shift the main powers of the world in his favour, "This is excellent" he muttered.

"Torune, Fu, I need the two of you to call back and prepare all of our troops before the Uzumaki leaves for the summit, we will attack the summit, and we will kill the five Kages" he ordered with a sadistic and sinister grin.

"This summit meeting will be a prime opportunity to place myself into a seat of power, when we attack the summit and kill the Kages we will leave each of the five great nations severely weakened, as for you Sai, you will stay here in Konoha along with a few other of our troops, I need you to be my eyes and ears in Konoha while we invade the summit" he ordered sternly.

The three were surprised, they knew that their master was ambitious but not to the extent of attacking all five Kages at once, "Danzo-sama if I may be so bold as to ask, why do we need to kill the Kages?" asked Torune.

"With all due respect Danzo-sama, but I agree with Torune. This attack sounds like suicide, these are among the five strongest ninjas of the world" added forth by the Yamanaka member of ROOT

Danzo grit his teeth out of anger, he formed a hand sign which activated the seals on their foreheads, the three ROOT members went down on their knees clutching their foreheads, the pain was unbearable, and the screams of pain were deafening.

"Do not question me, you three are here to serve as my soldiers, you will not feel any emotions even the emotion of fear. The only thing you are allowed to fear is me" he said, after another minute he stopped the jutsu, all three were panting on the ground with Torune even violently shaking due to the unimaginable torment caused by Danzo.

"Now listen closely, the five Kages may be powerful but we have the numbers on our side, currently ROOT holds five hundred ANBU level ninjas with me being at the level of a Kage, with our combined forces the Kages do not stand a chance. We will kill them and when we do another opportunity will rise forth for me to not only to rule the Land of Fire, but also all five of the great nations" he explained to the three ROOT members laying on the group, he knew they were still conscious but they were just unable to stand up at the moment.

"At the moment three of the five nations are severely weakened, Konoha as you know had just suffered from Pein's invasion, meanwhile Kiri just ended their civil war, and finally Suna is still recuperating from the attack of the Akatsuki. If we manage to kill the five Kages we could easily take over those three lands, then we'll worry about Kumo and Iwa some other day" said the bandaged warhawk.

"But if you're information is accurate then at least we will not have to worry about their respective Jinchuuriki. But if we are by any chance misinformed and the summit does not continue I could use the information about the Uchiha and the Akatsuki as leverage over the Hokage, the Uzumaki is risking Konoha's safety just for his friendship with the Uchiha, this will show everyone that he is an incapable leader. Now do you understand the importance of the summit and of the information?" clarified Danzo, while the three laying figures nodded their head.

"Good, now leave me" he ordered, the three ROOT operatives barely managed to stand but with their remaining strength they walked out the office as soon as they can, in order to prevent further invoking their master's wrath.

 **(End Flashback)**

Sai snarled before chugging another swig of sake; that memory will forever be embedded into Sai's brain, it will mark the day when he truly felt the emotion of hate for the first time in his life. He loathed his master, if given the chance he will strike him down but at the moment he is incapable of doing so.

Once again he grazed his hand across the seal on his forehead, he hasn't felt rage or grief such as this since the day his 'brother' Shin passed away, now Danzo was forcing him to play a part in his plans to murder the man he also considered as both a brother and as a friend.

* * *

 **Akatsuki Base**

Madara was walking back to the Akatsuki's base, beside him was a mysterious hooded man, once they arrived back at the base he noticed Zetsu, Team Taka and Kisame all waiting patiently.

Madara grinned underneath his mask as he saw the cold glare Sasuke was giving to the man beside him. The other members also had varying reactions towards the newcomer.

In the back Zetsu and Jugo both appeared to be uninterested, Kisame on the other hand was intrigued at the newest member of their little group. Meanwhile Suigetsu and Karin both shuddered at the sight of the mysterious man, despite him being covered by his cloak and hood all of the members of Akatsuki already knew who he really was, it was no secret that the cloaked man was Orochimaru's right hand man, Kabuto Yakushi.

Sasuke was the first to approach his fellow student, both had trained under Orochimaru for years.

"Kukuku it appears we will be working together again Sasuke-kun" said Kabuto.

"Hn"

"Oh come now, don't be like that, we've known each other for too long. Don't I at least get a greeting" he said sarcastically.

Sasuke was irritated, he never liked Kabuto to begin with and here he was already mocking him, Sasuke began to unveil his Mangekyo Sharingan to the man in front of him, "Don't play with me Kabuto, you and me are not friends nor are we forced to like each other. You don't like me, and I don't like you, let's just leave it at that. Our relationship is strictly professional" he said with in a threatening tone, Kabuto however remained unaffected despite the young Uchiha's KI.

Before Kabuto could reply Madara decided to stop their conflict before it further escalated, "Calm down Sasuke, Kabuto here is a member of our little group, there will be no infighting in our organization. Do you understand?" he asked while releasing how own KI.

The two students of Orochimaru nodded in understanding, they weren't affected much by the powerful KI being released by Madara.

"Good, as you all know the summit is approaching us, we have roughly twenty days before it begins and I am confident that with the addition of Kabuto we are prepared to take on the five Kages, Kabuto is already aware of our goals and he is more than willing to help us" explained the elder Uchiha.

Sasuke looked at Kabuto with a disbelieving look, he glared at him threateningly, "What's your aim Kabuto? What do you get from all this?" he asked.

Kabuto merely chuckled, "I'm a simple man Sasuke-kun. I agreed to join in order to flee my pursuers. Here in Akatsuki I am given the opportunity to conduct my research without being disturbed by others, in here morality is no issue when it comes to conducting research and experiments. I am given as much freedom and test subjects I could possible imagine, and my research here is valued just as long as it benefits the organization" he explained.

Sasuke scowled, as much as he hated to admit it Kabuto was quite a powerful recruit for Akatsuki. Even at an early age Kabuto was already able to match up with both Tsunade and Kakashi, and now who knows just how much he's grown since then. Add his intellect and scientific prowess then Akatsuki could benefit greatly with his inclusion, but all of that doesn't mean Sasuke was happy to see him in the same organization as him.

Sasuke was broken off his reverie as Kabuto began to speak once more, "Aside from my experiments I do have another guilty pleasure which led me to joining the Akatsuki" he said sinisterly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the hooded Kabuto, "And what is that guilty pleasure of yours?" he asked.

Kabuto smirked but it was hidden by his hood, "My, my quite the curious one you've become Sasuke. I remember when we were still with Orochimaru you wouldn't even utter one word other than your typical 'hn', and now here you are questioning me. I think this may even be our longest conversation yet don't you think?" he said teasingly.

Sasuke clenched his fist, his patience was running thin with Kabuto, "Just shut up and answer the question" he demanded.

"Now, now Sasuke-kun no need to be impatient, you're no better than Naruto-kun when it comes to that"

Sasuke's head shot up as he stared at Kabuto with his Mangekyo Sharingan, "Do not ever compare me to him, do you understand?" he said in a threatening manner.

Kabuto chuckled at Sasuke's expense, "No need to be so touchy".

Sasuke attempted to recompose himself, "Hn, now tell me why else did you agree to join?"

Kabuto's grin suddenly turned maniacal as he quickly removed his hooded cloak, once the cloak was removed all of the members of Akatsuki looked at Kabuto with obvious shock in their eyes, only Madara remained unaffected, instead the elder Uchiha was also smiling underneath his own mask.

Karin gasped as she saw Kabuto's new form, Suigetsu shuddered in fear, Jugo attempted to act unfazed but inside he was fearful of what Kabuto has become, even Sasuke was surprised at the man who stood in front of him. This was no longer the Kabuto he knew, the man has grown deranged and insane since the last time they met.

"I agreed to join so that I could watch the world burn" said Kabuto as he laughed hysterically.

"You're a madman! What the hell have are you?" Suigetsu asked while obviously stricken with fear.

"I am no longer a man, I am a dragon" he said.

"A Dragon?" Karin repeated nervously.

Kabuto nodded, "Yes my dear Karin, I am now a dragon. I have evolved to become a dragon" he replied as showed off his new form to his fellow Akatsuki members.

Kabuto's grey haired ponytail remained the same as well as his glasses, he wore brown pants and ninja sandals but he had no form of clothing on his torso. The complexion of his skin was deathly pale, and the texture of his new skin was scaly, it resembled that of a snake. Even his eyes were slit much like an animal's, there was a purple pigmentation around his eyes which were similar to Naruto's orange pigmentation when he was in Sage Mode.

But despite all of those, what shocked everyone the most was the large white snake connected to Kabuto's stomach, it was another living creature which was strangely for some reason attached to the insane madman.

Suigetsu leaned over to Karin, "I didn't think I'd ever find someone who scares or creeps me out as much as Orochimaru, but I think I just found that person" he whispered.

Karin nodded, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once I agree with you Suigetsu" she replied.

Sasuke looked at Kabuto with disbelief, even he was creeped out by his fellow student. He knew that he was a madman, but he did not expect for him to go to such lengths.

"What did you do to yourself" asked the avenger in astonishment.

"It was simple really, all I did was gather our former master Orochimaru-sama's cells and tissues when he was in his true snake form, then I implanted those same cells and tissues".

"You're insane" replied Sasuke.

Kabuto frowned and shook his head disapprovingly, "I'd rather not use the term insane, and I'd like to think of myself as progressive and open-minded rather than being labelled insane. I swear Sasuke-kun, you are too quick to judge". He replied leaving Sasuke speechless.

"As you can see Sasuke-kun I evolved from being a human and know I am not only a dragon, I am a god, I am the perfection personified".

* * *

 **Konoha**

The day of the summit drew closer as another week passes Konoha. Throughout that time Naruto began training once more, while he was busy in the office he would form clones to go to his personal training ground, and once there his clones will go on to form even more shadow clones and they partake in his usual training session.

Each and every day he felt as if he was advancing at an unheard of rate, the amount of knowledge and experience he gains everyday was simply astounding. Every now and again he too would partake in the training himself, this was to make sure that his taijutsu and physical fitness remain at tiptop shape.

During the course of the week Naruto also remained substantially busy because of the arrival of the delegates of other nations, people such as Chikara, Toki, Shion, Koyuki and Shibuki all began to arrive in Konoha one by one. All of the nations he sought help from replied, and each of them were more than willing to help Naruto and Konoha's reconstruction, it was the least they could do for everything Naruto had done for them in the past.

The genin teams Naruto sent all returned safely from their missions, the genin teams managed to send the letters he wrote himself and they also escorted the convoys back to Konoha, while the other genin teams sent to Yugakure and Kusagakure also returned brining the required resources and equipment to help with the rebuilding effort.

Even Tazuna's family and their building company arrived in Konoha, they were escorted by Team Ebisu. Upon arrival in Konoha none other than the remaining members of Team Seven greeted them by the Konoha entrance, seeing them brought nostalgia to the team, their mission to Nami no Kuni was their first of many major missions.

It felt like a lifetime ago when they left Konoha for their first C-Rank mission, but with Team Seven's knack for attracting trouble the mission turned into an A-Rank due to the arrival of a missing-nin, Zabuza Momochi. Despite the near-death experience for the team it brought them closer together, and it taught them valuable lessons, it was truly an eye-opening experience for the team.

For the rest of the day Team Seven, Tazuna, Inari and Tsunami caught up with each other while the rest of the building company settled themselves in Konoha, Yamato built shelter for the visiting builders using his Mokuton.

Team seven and Tazuna's family informed one another about the events from the past few years, Team Seven were pleasantly surprised to learn that Nami no Kuni was flourishing economically with the construction of the bridge, while Naruto specifically was honoured to learn that the bridge was dedicated and named after him. Even more surprising was the fact that Tazuna himself ran for Mayor of Nami no Kuni and won by a landslide, both Naruto and Sakura couldn't believe the fact that the old drunkard they used to know was now a mayor.

As for Tazuna and his family they were happy to learn that Naruto really did achieve his dream, but they were also saddened when they were told that Sasuke defected from Konoha, life has truly changed for both sides in some ways for the better and in some ways for the worse.

While the leader and political figures from various lands arrived in Konoha one by one, Naruto used this as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds and economy of his village, with him being relatively close friends with these leaders he managed to complete deals and alliances with each of them.

Naruto dealt with each of these political leaders individually, he managed to form trade agreements, trade routes, and alliances with all these lands.

For lands such as The Land of Waves, Naruto and Tazuna managed to draw up an alliance which benefitted both sides, Konoha's economy is bolstered in this deal while in return the Land of Waves' military and ninja system will be helped by Konoha.

Konoha will act as protection for Nami no Kuni, they will send ninjas there to help protect the land and to establish their own ninja academy and ninja system, other lands and nations also benefit from their agreements with Konoha.

For Yukigakure they help Konoha economically and technologically, the Land of Snow is known for their advanced technology and these will be a major boost for Konoha as well. In return for these they are also protected by Konoha.

The deals were quite similar to these, each of these lands signed treaties and agreements with Konoha and the Land of Fire, the council and the Fire Daimyo were more than impressed after hearing the good news. Konoha has now allied itself with smaller nations and villages, but despite their size each respective land was thriving in one way or another.

Konoha was quickly gaining allies in the form of Yukigakure, Takigakure, Oni no Kuni, Nami No Kuni, Tori no Kuni and Udon no Kuni, unfortunatel despite the arrival of the leaders of these areas, Konan and Gaara were both unable to travel to Konoha, both however did send their own convoy of builders and their own personal representative.

The Amegakure representative gave Naruto a letter personally written by Konan, inside of the letter it told Naruto of the current events in Amegakure, during the past few weeks Konan had in fact successfully become Amekage and Naruto was happy to hear about that. At the moment however Konan was bus adjusting herself into her new role and fixing the problems of the previous regimes, but unfortunately due to her new role and duties she lacked the time to travel to Konoha with the convoy of builders she sent. She expressed her sincerest apologies of being unable to personally go to Konoha herself but she did congratulate Naruto in her letter.

Gaara on the other hand sent his old Jonin sensei Baki as the representative of Suna, Baki explained that Gaara was more than happy to learn that Naruto had achieved his lifelong dream to become Kage, now the both of them shared the same duties as leaders of their own respective village. Unfortunately Gaara also couldn't travel to Konoha because of the upcoming Five Kage Summit, he needed to prioritize that meeting, so instead he sent his builders to help with the rebuilding of Konoha. Gaara was also sorry and regretful that he could not go to Konoha himself to help oversee the reconstruction of the village.

Naruto perfectly understood their reasons, being a Kage himself he was more than aware of just how tiring and time-consuming it is to be a Kage. Instead he decided not to worry about it since he will see Gaara in a few days in the Summit meeting, and so from then on the days flew by quickly.

Konoha quickly learned of their new alliances and their new allies and the citizens and the council were more than pleased with these, Naruto was showing everyone that he was a capable leader and he was proving many doubters wrong once again. His fame was quickly rising among the people and his reputation was vastly improving each and every day.

As those days passed the reconstruction of Konoha was going at an unbelievable rate, with the amount of builders in Konoha at the moment the rebuilding was now much more efficient and less time consuming. Thankfully the Daimyo was also true to his word as he sent his own large group of builders to also help with the current ones already in Konoha. At the moment Yamato was still the official leader of the reconstruction effort, but Tazuna managed to name himself co-leader of the project, but with his repertoire for building there were no complaints whatsoever.

Today however was just another normal day so far for Naruto; he went through his paperwork with the help of his trusty clones he also left a larger set of clones in his private training ground. It was just another routine day until Naruto and Shikamaru heard a loud knock on the door.

The source of the noise quickly entered and both the Hokage and his advisor raised a proverbial eyebrow in shock, their intruder was one of Naruto's clones and the clone looked both sweaty and tired, he was panting and catching his breath after his run to the office and in his right hand both noticed a manila folder.

"Umm what's going on?" asked Naruto.

The clone composed himself, he placed the manila folder he held onto the Hokage's desk, "Boss I think you need to read this" he said frantically.

"Why can't you just poof away so that I'll gain the memories?" asked the blonde Hokage curiously.

"Boss I think this is something you need to read for yourself" he said seriously, Naruto was surprised at the seriousness of his clone, he nodded as he opened the manila folder, and upon opening he noticed the title of the document, "The Uchiha Massacre" it said boldly on the front.

Shikamaru walked behind Naruto's seat to read the document alongside him, the two read it slowly and carefully as the clone watched in the background, as the deeper the two read into the article Naruto's eyes were gradually widening in shock, his teeth were also gritting themselves uncontrollably.

Once they reached the end of the folder Naruto looked up to his clone, "Tell Shizune to call Danzo to my office, now" he said calmly, Naruto's clone nodded, since he was a part of Naruto he knew that Naruto was only acting calm, inside his emotions were all over the place.

Once the clone left Shikamaru looked over to Naruto, "Do you think that's real? Did all that really happen?" he asked still in an obvious state of shock.

"I don't know Shikamaru, but were going to find out" Naruto replied in a serious tone.

Shikamaru nodded and the two played the waiting game, they waited patiently for a few minutes until there was a knock on the door, Naruto told the person to enter and he scowled as he noticed Danzo finally entering his office.

Danzo walked into the Hokage's office calm and collected, he slowly made his way to sit in the seat placed in front of the Hokage's desk.

"May I asked why I was summoned Hokage-sama?" he asked in an uninterested tone.

Naruto grabbed the manila folder in in his desk and threw it to Danzo, "Why don't you start by telling me about this" he said venomously, Danzo remained unaffected but as he opened the folder his eyes widened in shock for a second, he hastily composed himself before either the Hokage or his advisor would notice.

"Tell me Danzo, what the hell is this?"

"It's a folder Hokage-sama"

Naruto was beginning to lose his patience, he flared his chakra to intimidate the man before him, he felt sorry for Shikamaru having to experience this again but as he looked at Danzo the man remained unaffected by Naruto's intimidation. Naruto was surprised by his lack of a reaction, he stopped his chakra before it destroyed his office, instead Naruto glared at the bandaged old man; "Don't play smart with me" he warned threateningly.

Danzo merely chuckled at the young Hokage's threats, "I've been alive for years and I've felt KI from almost everybody, and I must say yours is still weak compared to your predecessors. You have a long way to go" he replied, Naruto clenched his fist in both anger and frustration, he could barely control his anger as he noticed the smug smile on Danzo's face.

"Danzo, I am your Hokage if you may have forgotten. I am of a higher position to you and you must answer to me. Now tell me just what the hell this is" Naruto demanded.

Danzo clenched his fist in anger, he hated being reminded of his loss to Naruto, "These are the orders me, your two advisors, and the Sandaime gave to Itachi. We ordered him to massacre his clan" he answered as he tried to remain calm.

Naruto stood there in disbelief at how calmly the man was when he answered his question, he seemed to have no sense of remorse or guilt whatsoever.

"Why, why would any of you agree to this?" he asked.

Danzo shook his head, "You are much too naïve to understand Hokage-sama. After all you're only a child. We did this to protect Konoha from the Uchiha, they were planning on a coup, Hiruzen was a fool for allowing the Uchiha this much freedom and time, he stalled this as long as he could in order to try and resolve this without violence, but as you see that never happened".

Naruto sat in his seat as he soaked in all of Danzo's words, for most of his life he saw Konoha as the sole light in a dark world, but as he learned of this he realized that even Konoha had its fair share of darkness.

He glanced towards his advisor and Shikamaru held the same expression of both confusion and disbelief, he knew that arguing with Danzo was pointless and so Naruto directed his attention towards the bandaged war hawk once again, "Get out of my sight Danzo, I swear one day you will pay for all your crimes in the past, one day you will get what you deserve" Naruto said in an angered tone.

Danzo stood up from his seat as he glared at the Hokage, "Is that a threat Uzumaki?" he asked venomously.

Naruto also stood up from his seat and banged his two fists onto his desk leaving cracks on it, he returned the glare Danzo was giving him as he began to unleash his KI once again.

"Trust me Danzo, this is far from being a threat, consider this as a friendly warning. When I give you a threat you will know it was threat, and it's Hokage-sama for you teme".

Naruto stopped flaring his chakra as he watched Danzo walk away, 'Just you wait Uzumaki, your reign as Hokage will soon come to an end, and once you're gone nothing will stop me from my plans' he silently thought to himself.

Once the old war veteran was gone Naruto turned towards Shikamaru with an apologetic gaze, "Sorry you had to see that, this is just so fucked up" he said while running his hand across his blonde hair.

"You don't have to apologize to me, trust me I've seen you at your worst and I've seen you at your best. This situation I think might be the most troublesome we've ever encountered. So what are we going to do about this?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Were not going to do anything, at least not yet. Kami we all misjudged Itachi, he was a hero of Konoha, he might be one of Konoha's greatest heroes and one of Konoha's greatest enigmas. As much as I would love to honour Itachi and his heroics this news must not be learned by the public. This could cause a public outrage and that is the last thing we need at a time like this" he answered.

The two remained silent for a few minutes as they contemplated the magnitude of the Uchiha Massacre, "Shikamaru could you cover for me? I need to go and talk to Koharu and Homura about this, and while I'm gone could you call in Yamato to fix my office again" said Naruto.

Shikamaru nodded his head as Naruto walked out of the office. Once the Hokage left the office so did Shikamaru, the lazy Nara walked up the stairs while Naruto walked downstairs, once he made it to the balcony of the tower he breathed in the fresh air.

It were times such as this that Shikamaru went and admired the clouds, during these complicated and conflicted days watching the clouds simply calmed him, as he continued to admire the sky he grabbed one of the cigarettes in his pocket and he lit it up, he inherited a smoking habit from his deceased sensei and although he knew it was unhealthy it did help calm him down.

He puffed some smoke as he looked up to the sky, 'I never thought Konoha had dark secrets such as this, kami this is troublesome' he thought to himself.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Meanwhile Naruto was walking down the stairs of the tower, he reached the door of his two advisors and quickly barged in unannounced, the two elders looked on surprised at their Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, is there anything you need?" asked Homura.

Naruto nodded, "I need you two to tell me about this" he said as he handed the two of them the manila folder containing the files of the Uchiha Massacre.

Koharu and Homura were shocked to see that Naruto found out about the truth of the massacre, "Hokage-sama we could explain" said Koharu.

Naruto crossed his arms, "Then explain" he ordered.

"Hokage-sama this was probably one of Konoha's darkest days, the Uchiha were planning a coup and there was no other solution. We were running out of time and we had no other choice, Itachi agreed to carry out this mission" answered Koharu.

Before Koharu could continue on with her story Homura interjected, "I must say I have never met a finer young man that him. His dedication to our village was second to young, had things turned out differently I have no doubt that he would have been the Godaime Hokage. But that being said fate was not so kind to Itachi, he had to kill each and every man, woman and child in his clan to protect Konoha, but he could not kill his little brother" he said.

"Sasuke" Naruto said softly.

Homura nodded, "Yes, Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi only had one request before he completes his mission, it was to protect Sasuke and drive him away from the darkness. Itachi's goal was to help Konoha as a missing-nin and in fact he was Jiraiya and Hiruzen's inside man within the Akatsuki. He was secretly protecting you from being captured, his plan was also to make Sasuke hate him to the point of vengeance. The way he saw it Sasuke will use his hatred for him in order to exact revenge, and once he was killed by his little brother Sasuke will be seen as a hero in Konoha, and the Uchiha Clan's name would be redeemed by Sasuke's heroics. Unfortunately not everything turned out that way as you know" he continued, Naruto nodded as he soaked in all this information.

Naruto's respect for Itachi was growing tremendously, he couldn't believe just how selfless the man was. He had not known that Itachi was his sensei's spy within Akatsuki, it all made sense for him now as to how Jiraiya always managed to acquire top-tier information from the secret organization. His emotions were still wild and rampant after uncovering the dark truth of Konoha.

He looked towards the two elders once more with a hardened gaze, "Did you agree to it?" he asked.

The two elders reluctantly nodded, "Hai" they said simultaneously.

"Why would you agree to this? Do you know how many lives you cost, the both of you, Danzo and even the old man caused the extinction of a clan, and it's because of you my best friend is currently the way he is" he said with a frustrated tone.

The two elders were usually calm and collected but after the outburst of the young Hokage something in Homura just snapped.

"What do you think we felt? Of course we felt guilty, for years we lived in guilt and grief knowing we ordered the death of hundreds of men and women, even children. Some were not even a year old, how do you think it felt having the blood of hundreds drench your hands. But this was the only way" he replied with the same amount of frustration as Naruto.

The young Hokage glared at the two elders, "Bullshit, there is always a way. You could have talked to them, you could have tried to convince them" he growled.

Koharu also lost her patience with the young Hokage, she slowly walked over to Naruto and slapped him on the face, Naruto was surprised by the actions of the female elder, he turned to face her after the slap and he was surprised to see that the older woman had tears falling down her face, Koharu's tears were a product of the guilt she continued to face up until today.

"Don't you think we tried? We had regular meetings with the Uchiha Clan Head, Sasuke and Itachi's father Fugaku Uchiha. We tried talking to him to stop the coup but it was to no avail, me, Hiruzen and Homura did our best to try and prevent this. The only one who didn't try was Danzo, in the end however there was nothing we could do and time was close at hand, we had to decide" she yelled.

"You could have tried harder, there must have been a way" Naruto rebutted.

Homura shook his head, "Talk is cheap Hokage-sama, what would you have done in our situation?" he asked daringly.

"I would have tried to convince them like I did for Nagato. We could prevent all of this" he answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"We had so much confidence and belief in you Hokage-sama but you are showing us that you are much too young, idealistic and naïve to lead a village. Not everyone could be swayed by words, we did everything we could but in the end we were left with no other choice or alternative. It was either for Itachi to kill his clan or for the Uchiha to begin a coup, and if that were to happen Konoha may have possibly fallen, or there would have been casualties on both sides. It was the lesser of two evils" replied Homura.

"With that in mind Hokage-sama, tell us what would you have done? We knew that there was no changing the Uchiha Clan's mind, and as much as Hiruzen didn't want to do it, even he realized the situation before him. He is the Hokage as are you, the Hokage is tasked with protecting the people of Konoha above all, and the Uchiha Clan was endangering the livelihood of everyone in Konoha. Even your friend Sasuke is endangering Konoha with his affiliation with the Akatsuki" added Koharu.

Naruto's eyes widened, he looked towards the two elders with a surprised expression, "How do you know that? That was supposed to be a secret" he said.

"It wasn't that hard Hokage-sama, once the group from Kumo left your office we confronted them and asked them about the purpose of their arrival in Konoha. Our two villages haven't been in the best of terms in years and the sudden arrival of Kumo ninjas sparked our interest, but worry not we told them nothing about your friend. All we learned was the Uchiha's affiliation with Akatsuki and the summit you were asked to attend" she explained calmly.

"What do you plan on doing about this?" Homura asked curiously.

"I'm keeping my promise to Sakura-chan, I'm bringing the teme back even if I have to kick his ass to do so. Konoha is my home and it is his home as well, he's my best friend and the closest thing I have to a brother. I'm bringing him back home" he said.

Koharu shook her head in disappointment, "You need to grow up Hokage-sama. We live in an imperfect world, not everyone is as self-righteous as you are" she replied.

"Sasuke is just a product of the Uchiha Clan massacre you both helped start, I know Sasuke better than anyone and he will return to Konoha" replied Naruto.

"If what you say is true then why didn't he return when he finally achieved his goal of killing his brother? Why did he have to join Akatsuki? I'm sure that he is aware of their goal to capture the tailed beasts, and I'm sure that he also knows that you are the container of the Kyuubi, he knows they are hunting you and yet he still joined" replied Koharu.

"He may not have had a choice, maybe he was forced to join" Naruto said almost pleadingly as if he was attempting to convince not only the two elders, but also himself.

"Enough is enough Hokage-sama, stop convincing yourself that Sasuke is redeemable. Tell me Hokage-sama, hypothetically if you saw Orochimaru in the battle field you would kill him without a hesitation am I correct?" asked Homura, Naruto nodded he was unsure where this conversation was going.

"Of course I would, he is a criminal and a murderer. The bastard deserves it for everything he's done" he replied.

Homura nodded, "I'm assuming you know who Madara Uchiha is. Would you kill him if you saw him in a battlefield?"

Naruto clenched his fist upon hearing the name of that man, it was because of Madara his parents died, and it was because of Madara that the Kyuubi was sealed into him, "Without any hesitation, yes" he replied coolly.

"But you won't kill Sasuke if you see him in a battlefield?"

Naruto shook his head, "Of course not, Sasuke's different from those two" he said as he defended his best friend.

"Sasuke is not much different than those two, much like Madara and Orochimaru, Sasuke has murdered people in cold blood. If he were to return that doesn't mean he would automatically be exempted from his crimes. He has betrayed Konoha, joined a missing-nin, killed innocents, given away Konoha secrets to our enemies and if I'm not mistaken he would have also killed you had it not been for the Kyuubi's healing properties" Homura explained leaving Naruto speechless.

Koharu sighed as she interjected in Homura's lecturing, "This isn't the first time we've experienced something such as this, this happened to Hashirama-sama and Hiruzen as well. Shodai-sama felt the same way about Madara as you do for Sasuke, and for most of his life he lived in denial of Madara's evil. But there soon came a time when Shodai-sama had to realize the truth about Madara, he was endangering Konoha and so with a heavy heart Hashirama-sama fought with Madara at the what we now know as the Valley of the End. Hashirama-sama was forced to kill Madara and although he felt great pain in killing the man he considered as a brother, he knew it had to be done to protect Konoha" said Koharu.

Homura nodded, "As for Hiruzen as you know he was the teacher of the Sannin. He taught Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru. Hiruzen was especially proud of Orochimaru, he was a once in a lifetime genius and although Hiruzen loved his students equally he always had a soft spot for Orochimaru. He trained them all to be the ninjas they are today and for a time he was preparing him to be his successor as Hokage. Unfortunately however Orochimaru quickly descended into the darkness and Hiruzen could not appoint him as Hokage, instead he chose Minato to be the Yondaime Hokage; a position which Orochimaru believed was rightfully his".

"Soon Hiruzen uncovered his dark secret about his experimentations within Konoha, before he could escape Hiruzen had a chance to kill him. But Hiruzen's feelings and relationship with Orochimaru clouded his judgement, he allowed him to leave. Had Hiruzen done the same as Hashirama-sama did don't you think we could have avoided so many tragedies? Maybe Hiruzen may have still been alive, maybe Sasuke may not have left the village. Even Jiraiya felt the same way with Orochimaru, but thankfully he quickly realized his mistakes. Think about this Hokage-sama, you are not the first one to experience this and as history shows us you need to stop him before he continues this dark road he is currently on" he continued.

Naruto stood there absolutely speechless, he couldn't utter a word to defend his beliefs or his views. He had to admit both Koharu and Homura made good points, deep down inside he knew what had to be done.

"So do you understand now Hokage-sama? None of us enjoyed doing what we did, but we did it to protect Konoha. Every night since the massacre I've felt responsible for the lives of hundreds, but had I not done that I may have been indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands. This is what you have to understand Hokage-sama, you're duty is to the people of Konoha and nothing more, they should be your top priority. You cannot jeopardize their safety because of a promise you made or because Sasuke was your friend. Hashirama-sama realized this earlier and he managed to stop Madara's evil before it continued, Hiruzen was too late to stop this and in the end he and the rest of Konoha suffered from his hesitation. This is just how being Hokage works, it is a difficult job with difficult decisions, but you have to put your personal feelings aside and focus on the betterment of Konoha and the safety of your people" Koharu said, she sympathized for Naruto, all this was a lot to take in for a man, let alone a 16 year old boy.

Naruto nodded slowly, "I understand, I may not like it but I see the points the both of you make. I love Konoha and I will never do anything to jeopardize its safety and the safety of its people".

Koharu smiled at the resolve of the young man, "So what are you going to do about Sasuke?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her with a fire lit in his eyes, "A part of me still believes there might be good in Sasuke, but I also realize as Hokage I need to change my priorities. As you said I could endanger everyone just because of my beliefs and relationship with Sasuke, and so I have decided to give Sasuke one last chance at redemption. The next time I see him I will give him one final opportunity to repent for his crimes and return to Konoha, but if he refuses I will personally deal with him myself" he answered.

The two elders seemed pleased, they nodded their head in understanding, "Allow me to give you one final piece of advice Hokage-sama. You say you managed to convince Pein to change his ways and so you feel as if you could change anybody, even Sasuke. But you fail to realize the reasons Pein was willing to change" Homura explained wisely.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Pein changed because of his goal, his dream for peace was noble but the way he tried to achieve this goal was reprehensible. What I mean to say is deep inside Pein meant well and because of that you were able to change his views, as for Sasuke his goal was always vengeance and power. There was nothing noble about his views, there will be nothing that will make him want to change and there will be nothing that would open his eyes to see his mistakes. The difference between them are the intentions, and that is how I believe you managed to convince Pein and why I believe convincing Sasuke is futile"

Naruto nodded his head, "I understand what you are saying Homura-san, but it is only one last chance for Sasuke. Trust me when if Sasuke decides not to return home I will see to it that the threat to Konoha is neutralized".

"Very good Hokage-sama, I'm sorry for slapping you earlier but I think we managed to help you with your problem. Remember if you ever have any problems or questions do not hesitate to contact us, we will help you the best we can, it is our jobs after all" replied Koharu with a small smile on her face.

Naruto looked at both the elders with a serious gaze, "It's no problem Koharu-san, I should apologize to the both of you for screaming a while ago, and also thank you for opening my eyes. I know now that my duty as the leader and protector of Konoha should always come first, and I understand why the Uchiha Massacre was done, I personally still don't like it but I understand that you had to do it to protect Konoha. I promise as Hokage that nothing like that will ever happen in my reign, I will find a way to break this hatred among all of us and I will bring peace to the shinobi world".

Homura walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder, "We know you will, you will be the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever had and you will surpass all your predecessors. You just need to grow up and mature, but once you fix your flaws we have no doubt that you lead Konoha to an era of peace and prosperity for years to come. But for now we suggest preparing for your summit meeting, it's due to take place in just a few days" he said.

Naruto smiled at his two advisors, "Of course, I'll personally see to it now. Thank you once more for the help you both have given me" he said sincerely, the two nodded as they watched Naruto leave their office.

Naruto was walking up the tower's stairs once more, as he made his way to his office he noticed Shizune waiting by her desk, "Shizune could you please call in Kakashi-sensei and Neji to my office?" he asked.

Shizune smiled at the young Hokage, "Of course Naruto-kun, consider it done" she said.

"Thank you" he said before entering his office, upon arrival he noticed that his office was back to being repaired, he had to thank Yamato for a second time for his help in repairing Konoha.

"I see your back, so how did it go?" Shikamaru asked curiously as he lit another cigarette.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I think it went well, sorry about dumping my work onto you" he replied feeling sorry for the lazy teen.

"It was no problem Naruto, I going to make an exception just for today" he replied.

Naruto chuckled, "Sure thanks I guess. I've asked Shizune to call in Neji and Kakashi-sensei, I need to talk to you three about something important".

Shikamaru looked at his friend intrigued, "What about?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when they get here"

"Troublesome"

Naruto sighed, "You think everything's troublesome" he replied.

"Because everything is troublesome"

Before Naruto could continue the bickering among the two boys they noticed a knock on the door, "Come in" he said. The door opened as both Kakashi and Neji entered the room.

"Excellent, now that all three of you are here there is something I need to tell you" Naruto said seriously while making his way back to his seat.

"What is it you need Naruto?" asked the masked Jonin.

"As you know there is an upcoming Five Kage Summit in Tetsu no Kuni within a few days, while I'm gone I need you to watch over the village as interim-Hokage, you're the only one I trust with this job since Tsunade is in a coma" he answered.

"Why can't you just get someone like Shikaku instead of me?"

"It's because Shikaku probably won't get anything done, I trust and respect him but he's just as lazy as Shikamaru" he replied.

Shikamaru nodded his head, "I take offense to that but I can't necessarily blame you".

Kakashi sighed in defeat, "Very well Naruto I'll do it for you".

Naruto smiled victoriously, "Thanks Kakashi-sensei".

"No problem Naruto"

Naruto then looked towards both Neji and Shikamaru, "As for you two I was told by the three Kumo ninjas that for the summit I am supposed to have two bodyguards who I trust and you two were the first to come to my mind. Do you both accept being my bodyguards for the summit?"

Neji bowed his head, "Of course Hokage-sama, it would be an honour to protect you" he said respectfully causing Naruto to groan in annoyance.

"Come on Neji we've known each other for too long, you don't need to call me Hokage-sama or treat me differently. Were still friends, just treat me like you did before I became Hokage"

"Sorry Hokage-sama but I cannot do that, you hold a very powerful position which must be respected and you are my superior. I must treat you as such"

"Neji, Hokage's orders, you will not refer to me as Hokage-sama and you won't treat me differently just because I'm Hokage. Just act like you did before I became Hokage" he ordered.

Neji could not find a decent comeback, he sighed in frustration, "Very well Hoka…err I mean Naruto"

Naruto smiled at Neji, "That's great" he said before directing his attention to Shikamaru, "So what's your answer Shikamaru?" he asked.

"Why did you choose us, surely there are more qualified ninjas like Guy-sensei or Yamato" he asked clearly annoyed at having to travel to Tetsu no Kuni.

"That may be true but I trust the two of you, and don't sell yourselves short both of you are already Jonin at age 16 and 17, no easy feat. I would have liked Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou but I needed Kakashi-sensei to watch over the village while I'm gone. While for Yamato-taichou he was needed here to oversee the reconstruction project, as for Guy-sensei he just creeps me out" he answered.

Neji shook his head in amusement, "Fair enough" he mumbled to himself.

Shikamaru sighed in exasperation, "Very well then, count me in" he said in a defeated tone.

Naruto smiled at his two friends, "This is great news, now let's call it a day, you three are dismissed" as the three nodded their heads, quickly after that the four went their separate ways. Naruto decided to have a walk around Konoha to calm his nerves, Kakashi decided to return to his new home to continue his daily reading of his most prized possession, the Icha Icha books. Neji meanwhile returned to the Hyuga Clan's new compound to inform his uncle of his upcoming mission, Shikamaru on the other hand made his way to the Sarutobi Clan's compound to check up on the pregnant Kurenai.

* * *

 **With Neji**

Neji arrived in the Hyuga Clan's new compound, the clan compound was mostly still a collection of lavish tents, only a few of the clan's estates have been built, one of which was the Clan Head's estate.

He gently knocked on the front door of the clan head's estate, after a few seconds the door opened and he found the young Hanabi in front of him.

Neji bowed respectfully, "Hanabi-sama is your father home? I must speak with him" he asked.

"Hai Neji-niisan, come follow me. Father is in the backyard training with Hinata-neechan" she said, Neji nodded and the two walked through the newly built home onto the back.

Upon arrival they noticed both Hinata and Hiashi in their taijutsu stance, both were panting and sweaty from their taijutsu training.

Hiashi quickly noticed his visitor, "Enough for now Hinata, you're doing well and improving. We'll continue this later on" he said, Hinata nodded obediently.

"Hai tousan" she replied.

"So what brings you here Neji?" he asked.

Neji bowed respectfully once again, "I'm sorry for intruding Hiashi-sama. I came here to inform you that I have been chosen to be one of the Hokage's bodyguards in the upcoming Five Kage Summit" he said.

Hiashi smiled at the achievements of his nephew, "Congratulations Neji, you really have gone a long way. I'm proud of you and I'm sure your father would have been proud of you as well" he said.

"Arigato Hiashi-sama, that really means a lot to me" he replied.

Hinata also smiled at her older cousin, "Congratulations Neji-niisan, I know you'll do your best" she said before walking over to Neji to give him a hug.

As Hinata hugged Neji, the Hyuga prodigy's cheeks reddened significantly, in the back Hanabi laughed at the predicament her older sister left their cousin.

Once the two separated from their hug the two of them were clearly blushing up a storm, Hiashi merely shook his head at the antics of both his daughter and nephew.

* * *

 **With Shikamaru**

The Hokage's advisor was walking around the newly build clan compound for the Sarutobi Clan, quite a number of the homes have been built already but Shikamaru was only looking for one home in particular. He arrived in his designated home and knocked on the front door, the door was soon opened by the pregnant Genjutsu Mistress, Kurenai Yuuhi.

"Kurenai-sensei" Shikamaru greeted.

The Genjutsu Mistress smiled at the young Nara, "Visiting again I see, I must thank you Shikamaru you really have been helpful to me while I've been pregnant" she said gratefully.

"It's no problem Kurenai-sensei, it's the least I could do for you and Asuma-sensei" he replied with a melancholic smile.

"Still, you've been a big help nonetheless, now sit" she said as she offered Shikamaru a seat on the comfy sofa.

"Thank you Kurenai-sensei, but I'm actually here with some good news and bad news "he said.

Kurenai looked at him with a serious expression, "So what are you going to tell me Shikamaru?" she asked before sitting down on the seat opposite of Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed, "Good news is I've been chosen as one of Naruto's bodyguards for the Five Kage Summit, bad news is I'll be gone for a few weeks and I might miss the baby's birth" he replied.

Kurenai looked at the young man proudly, "Shikamaru you have nothing to feel bad about, and being chosen as a Hokage's bodyguard is quite an honour. Don't worry about the baby either, I'll at least have the Sarutobi Clan, Choji, Ino and my friends there as well. They'll help me through, but for now wait here I want to give you something".

Shikamaru nodded as he watched Kurenai walk towards one of the rooms in the house, he waited for a minute and then she returned to the living room, she handed him a dusty old box before returning to her seat.

"That's for you Shikamaru, now open it up" she said.

Shikamaru nodded before opening the dusty box, upon opening the box Shikamaru's eyes widened. Inside of it were his deceased sensei's chakra blades, he grabbed both blades tested it on himself.

"I'm sure he would have wanted you to have those, I know you gave them back to me as an antique to have in my house after you defeated those Akatsuki members, but then it got me thinking. Knowing Asuma he would want his weapons to be used by someone like you Shikamaru, instead of it just gathering dust and rust sitting in this house".

Shikamaru looked at Kurenai in disbelief, "Are you sure you want me to have this? I mean this is quite important" he said.

Kurenai shook her head, "Of course Shikamaru, I couldn't think of anyone more worthy than you to wield those blades. Asuma's legacy will live on as you wield his weapons" she said as she wiped away her tears for her deceased lover.

"Arigato Kurenai-sensei, I'll make you and Asuma-sensei proud" Shikamaru said in a serious tone.

The red eyed woman smiled warmly at Asuma's student, "Shikamaru, Asuma always believed in you and he knew you could go far as a ninja. He also believed that you would be a great man one day, and because of that I decided to name you our child's godfather".

Shikamaru's eyes widened and his mouth was agape, he couldn't utter a single word out of disbelief.

"Me? A Godfather? To a kid?" he muttered nervously, "Are you sure?" he asked.

Kurenai chuckled and shook her head amusingly, "Of course Shikamaru, me and Asuma's daughter would be proud to have you as her godfather and maybe even sensei one day"

Shikamaru smiled like he never did before, his smile was one that could rival Naruto's, "I promise Kurenai-sensei you won't regret this decision".

"I know I won't" she replied

* * *

 **Konohagakure**

The big day finally came, it was time for the Kages to depart and travel to the summit meeting in Tetsu no Kuni. Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru each prepared meticulously for the week long journey ahead of them. They packed their things and prepared their equipment, all three met in the Hokage's office before departing to head to the gates of Konoha.

As the three left the Hokage's tower they noticed all of Konoha seeing them off, once the three were seen by the large crowd they were given their congratulatory greetings, they were told good luck, they were wished for a safe journey and both Shikamaru and Neji were told to protect Naruto as best as they could.

While the three walked over to the northern gates of Konoha the people clapped, cheered and saluted their hero's departure. Once the three were at the front of the gates Naruto grinned and looked over at his two bodyguards.

"Are you two ready?" he asked.

Both Neji and Shikamaru grinned, "Ready as you are" said Shikamaru.

"I was born ready Naruto" replied Neji.

Naruto's grin widened, "That's what I like to hear, to the Land of Iron we go" he declared.

* * *

 **Sunagakure**

"You're late Kankuro" said the Godaime Kazekage Gaara no Subaku.

"Sorry about that, I was working on a new trick" replied the puppet master Kankuro.

"Take care of yourself Kazekage-sama"

"Temari-san, Kankuro-san take care of the young Kazekage" yelled one of the citizens of Suna.

"We will don't worry, it's not like Gaara even needs any bodyguards" said Temari.

"Come on Temari, Kankuro it's time for us to go" Gaara said, the two nodded and the three began their journey.

'I wonder Naruto, was the letter given to me speaking the truth. I hope to see you in the summit my old friend' Gaara thought to himself as a small smile graced the corners of his lips.

* * *

 **Iwagakure**

"Akatsuchi, Kurotsuchi take good care of him" yelled one of the bystanders.

"It's a pain going to a meeting at my age" complained Onoki the Sandaime Tsuchikage as he rubbed his aching lower back.

"Why not retire old man?" cheekily asked the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and bodyguard, Kurotsuchi.

"I'll take your luggage Tsuchikage-sama" said the large man known as Akatsuchi.

"No, no Akatsuchi I'll do it. I'm not as fragile as you brats think I am. I don't need your help" he said before placing the bag on his back, a second later a crack was heard and the Tsuchikage screamed in pain.

"Oh Kami my hips are in pain" he yelled.

In the back Kurotsuchi chuckled at the predicament of her grandfather, "So are you going to send someone in your place old man?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm the Tsuchikage, the great and fearsome leader of Iwagakure"

"I swear Gramps you're too stubborn for your own good" said Kurotsuchi.

Akatsuchi then lifted the old man and placed him in his shoulders, "Alright carry your own luggage, now let's go" he said.

Onoki the Tsuchikage attempted to rebel but it was to no avail, he wanted to appear powerful and dignified among his people but as he was being carried he simply looked like a child.

* * *

 **Kirigakure**

"Take care of yourself now" said an elderly man as handed the Mizukage's hat to a beautiful woman with auburn red hair.

"I will, thank you. I swear on my name as Mizukage that I will fulfil my duty" replied Mei Terumi the Godaime Mizukage of Kirigakure.

The elderly man then turned to the Mizukage's bodyguards, "Please take care of her Ao, Chojuro".

"I…I think we'll be fine….thanks" Chojuro replied nervously, Ao looked at Chojuro disappointedly.

"Come now Chojuro, were the Mizukage's bodyguards, you're a member of the Seven Swordsmen, show some backbone" he said.

Mei squatted down to Chojuro's eye level, she smiled at the young man causing him to blush profusely; "I believe in you Chojuro, I feel safe with you guarding me" she said.

'She's so nice' Chojuro thought to himself.

"I swear, you kids nowadays. Just be a man and say yes ma'am, nobody needs to hear your mumbling" said Ao.

The Mizukage's expression quickly turned dark, 'A man…Need a man!?' she thought to herself. Mei then walked over to Ao, "Shut up or I'll kill you" she whispered in a sickly sweet voice causing Ao to shudder in fear.

"Come on let's go Chojuro, Ao" said the Mizukage.

* * *

 **Kumogakure**

"Alright everything is set. Let's do this C, Darui" yelled A the Yondaime Raikage as he jumped out of the window in his office.

Darui and C remained behind and both sighed in exasperation, "Here we go again" mumbled Darui.

"Yeah, so it seems" replied C.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

A small army of ninjas were slowly making their way to the Land of Iron, every member of the group wore a suspicious looking mask which resembled that of ANBU forces.

In front of the group was their leader, a bandaged man with his walking stick. 'Your death is close at hand Uzumaki, you and the four other Kages will meet your inevitable doom' he thought to himself

* * *

 **Akatsuki Base**

The members of Akatsuki all gathered their equipment for their attack of the summit meetings. Once that was all over the eight members of the group headed off to Tetsu no Kuni.

One particular member was more excited than most, 'It's time we finally settle this Naruto. It's time to learn who the stronger brother was' he thought to himself with a maniacal grin.

* * *

 **Glossary**

Amegakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Rain

Hi no Kuni - Land of Fire

Konohagakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Leaves

Kusagakure no Sato - Village Hidden in the Grass

Nami no Kuni - Land of Waves

Oni no Kuni - Land of Demons

Sunagakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Sand

Takigakure no Sato - Village Hidden by a Waterfall

Tetsu no Kuni - Land of Iron

Tori no Kuni - Land of Birds

Udon no Kuni - Land of Noodles

Yugakure no Sato - Village Hidden in Hot Water

Yukigakure no Sato - Village Hidden Among Snow

Kumogakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Clouds

Iwagakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Rocks

Kirigakure no Sato - Village Hidden by Mist

 **Author's Note**

Well here is chapter 3 of my story, I hope all of you liked it. As you can see i placed a HIMYM reference during Naruto's conversation with Hinata. I also made my version of Kabuto similar to the Joker, i just got Joker vibes from the guy. As usual please comment,or pm me for any questions you may have for the story and i will do my best to answer any of your questions. Also please leave any constructive criticism or opinions you may have in the comment section, no hate please :)


	4. A Painful Confession

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Naruto, but i wish i did.**

 **Author's Note: Well here is chapter 4, i hope all of you like it. I also want to apologize for my late update, i've just been busy with personal reasons and quite frankly this was a hard portion to write, and so the chapter is a bit all over the place. But thanks anyway for my fans and for those who read my story, i can't believe i already have 8000+ views, 180+ favorites and 220+ followers, thanks to all my supporters out there.**

 **This chapter mainly focuses on Sakura's development as a character along with the lead up to the summit meeting. Also for those inquiring about pairings for this story, this will be NaruSaku, and this will not be a NaruHarem, I plan on making NaruHarem stories in the future but not for this one. In fact I'm even planning on beginning another story or two so that i could alternate between the two or three of them, i just don't want things to get too stagnant and i kind of want to mix things up. Tell me all what you think about the possibilities of other stories, if that does goes through then i will make a poll in my profile describing the plots for each of my planned stories and i'll let all of you vote and decide. When I make the poll i won't reveal whether or not the pairing will be NaruSaku or NaruHarem, i want people's choices to be based on the story rather than the pairing.**

 **Anyway here is chapter 4, once again i'm sorry about the delay but i'll try to continue to update more frequently. As usual please follow or favorite the story, and any form of opinions and constructive criticism is more than welcome here. Please leave comments if you have any possible inputs or to tell what you like or dislike so that i'll know what to change or continue, and if anybody has questions about my story do not hesitate to pm me and i will do my best to answer anybody's questions. Thank you everybody!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: A Painful Confession**

It had been a few days since Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru left for the Five Kage Summit, and today was Kakashi was in charge as the interim-Hokage, just while Naruto was away. He didn't really want to do this but seeing as how there was nobody else capable he had no other choice, he could only shudder at the thought if someone like Gai or Anko were placed as interim-Hokage. In the end he was for the lack of a better term, the lesser of two evils.

Today was much like any other day, Kakashi was working through the paperwork left for the Hokage. He couldn't help but sigh at the mountains of paperwork left to the Hokage, how Naruto and the other past Hokages dealt with this daily, he'll never know.

As the hours passed by, Kakashi's boredom only grew until it reached its boiling point, with nothing better to do he believed he deserved a well-earned break. He scouted the room to see whether or not the coast was clear, he didn't see a single other person in the room.

Kakashi then began to giggle perversely as he reached for his pockets for his most prized possession, a limited edition signed copy of the Icha Icha Paradise. Despite having read the book more than fifty times, Kakashi never seemed to get sick of it.

But just before the grey haired Jonin was about to read his beloved yet perverted book the doors of his office flew open, in a rush of panic Kakashi quickly hid the book fearing that Shizune may see him slacking off again. But to his relief and slight annoyance it was just Yamato, the Mokuton user seemed out of breath as he entered the room.

"Hey Yamato, what's up?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly.

Yamato looked up at the interim-Hokage, "Kakashi-senpai, we have a slight problem. I think you may want to see this" he answered.

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow before shrugging impassively, "Alright then Yamato, lead the way" he replied, a part of him was thankful for this distraction, at least now he didn't have to be holed up in the office.

Yamato nodded as he led Kakashi to one of the small medical buildings he built using his Mokuton abilities, upon their arrival they were shown to a stretcher, and laying on top of the stretcher was Sai. The young man even at first glance appeared deathly sick, Kakashi and Yamato could also smell a repulsive scent coming from the ROOT member, and his skin was paler than usual. This was not a good sign.

"What happened here?" he asked, but before Yamato could answer Sakura arrived holding a clipboard.

"I think I could explain that" she replied, Kakashi and Yamato both nodded allowing Sakura to continue.

"Well Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-taichou, this idiot here nearly drank himself to death. He is currently suffering from alcohol poisoning and he was near-death when Yamato found him, everyone was wondering where he's been and so some of us came to look for him. Unfortunately when we found him he was in this state, I don't know why he's like this but thankfully we found him sooner rather than later. If he went unchecked for a few more minutes who knows what could have happened to him" she answered worriedly, deep inside her hard exterior was her gentler side.

"How bad was it Sakura?" asked the Mokuton user.

Sakura shook her head and sighed indignantly, "I can't believe I'm saying this but the amount of alcohol he drank could make Tsunade look like a lightweight. When Tsunade drinks it's usually to uplift her spirits or relax, but for Sai it seemed as if he wanted to forget. I have no idea what's going on with him but he needs to be more careful, he almost died from his stupidity" she replied.

Kakashi nodded in understanding, "Is it okay to wake him up? I think me and Yamato need to talk to him about being normal, I guess".

"Yeah it's alright, he's been treated already and he's just resting up a bit. But at least he's alright now" she replied as she grabbed smelling salts from her pocket.

She placed the smelling salts near Sai's nostrils, once Sai managed to smell the scent of the salts his eyes opened as his consciousness returned. Sai looked around his surroundings upon waking up, he noticed he was in one of the medical shelters and he was surprised to see Sakura, Yamato and Kakashi all looking at him with disappointment clearly shown in their expressions. He hung his head low, ashamed of his past choices and the fact that they were unaware of his betrayal.

"Sakura would you mind if we bring Sai to the office, I think we need to talk to him about all this" Kakashi said.

"I don't see why not, he's recovered except for the massive headache coming from his hangover, but aside from that he's good"

Kakashi and Yamato nodded in understanding, both helped Sai up but before they could depart Sakura had one last thing to say.

The Pink haired Kunoichi looked at the three members of Team Seven in front of her, "I swear you guys are all going to be the death of me one day. Sometimes you guys are just as reckless as Naruto. Please take care of yourselves next time".

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, he could sense that she really is worried for all of them, "Don't worry Sakura we'll be alright" he said, Sakura smiled feeling assured by the words of her sensei, and then just like that all three vanished leaving a plume of smoke. The three shinobi used Shunshin to return back to the tower, once they returned to the tower Sai felt worse for wear, he looked for the closest trashcan and vomited right then and there. The high speeds of the Shunshin and his raging hangover were not a good combination.

Kakashi grimaced as he saw the pale young man vomit into his trashcan, 'I'll have to get someone to clean that up later' he thought to himself.

Once all that was done Kakashi sat on the chair usually reserved for the Hokage, and behind him was Yamato standing up with his arms crossed. They offered a seat to Sai and the ROOT operative sat in front of the desk, the usually stoic and emotionless boy was strangely enough showing emotions, emotions such as guilt and despair have been pestering him for days, and those were the reasons he turned to drinking. He needed to forget.

"Sai what's been going on with you these past few days? A lot of your friends are getting worried for you, and honestly them finding you unconscious on the verge of death isn't helping. So tell us what's the problem, you've also been avoiding all of us as of late" Kakashi said in a stern tone with a slight hint of worry over the newest member of Team Seven.

The pale young man couldn't help but sigh, the situation he was in was certainly not helping him alleviate the guilt he felt, but as he thought about it this seemed to be perfect for him. The seal in his tongue prevented him from informing anyone about Danzo, and the seal on his forehead prevented him from doing anything against Danzo's will, but now Danzo was away at the summit and he could possibly hint to Kakashi and Yamato, the problems that were effecting his day to day life.

He gulped and looked at the two Jonin of Konoha, despite his resolve to repent and make up for his betrayal he still feared having to admit the truth, ever since he began to be a member of Team Seven he had begun to understand and feel emotions, both good and bad.

"I can't really tell you what my problem is. Something is preventing me from doing so" he admitted nervously.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, "Sai we are just looking out for you, you need to tell us what's wrong so that we could help you fix your problem" he said as Yamato agreed wholeheartedly.

Sai nodded, "Before I show you my problem please understand my situation and why I had to do it" he warned, both Kakashi and Yamato were surprised by the choice of words by the ROOT operative but they agreed nonetheless.

Sai then untied his headband and also put out his tongue for the two ninjas to see, and both Kakashi and Yamato had widened eyes as they saw the two seals placed on Sai.

'What the hell are those seals doing on Sai' Kakashi thought to himself, Yamato also looked on frantically at the sight in front of him, the newest member of Team Seven was engraved with two high level seals, and one of which was supposedly only reserved for the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family.

Kakashi was absolutely bewildered when he saw the seals on Sai, he stood up from the chair and stared at Sai, "What is all this Sai? Why the hell is the Caged Bird Seal on your forehead?" he asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei but I cannot tell you anything, this prevents me from doing so" he said as he pointed to the seal on his tongue.

Kakashi attempted to calm himself down as he walked closer to Sai in order to inspect the seal on his tongue, and even after a quick glance he could see the intricacies of the seal. Being the student of the Yondaime he was taught Fuinjutsu, but even though he was nowhere near the level of Minato when it came to the sealing arts, Kakashi still knew his fair share, he knew enough to get by.

The seal placed on Sai's tongue was nothing short of powerful, he could tell from the writing that it was also lethal to Sai, as he continued to study the seal he came up with one conclusion, this all had something to do with Danzo.

All the evidence pointed to Danzo, the fact that it was placed on Sai, a member of his organization, and because knowing the man's reputation and mindset the idea of putting precautionary seals on his soldier wasn't farfetched for him.

Kakashi then directed his attention from the seal to Sai, "This is Danzo's work is it not?" he asked.

"I'm sorry but this seal prevents me from giving out information" he replied.

"I guess I'll take that as a yes, he must have placed this to prevent the leakage of information on either him or his organization" Kakashi said to himself, he then glanced towards Yamato who stood in the back.

"Yamato you were a member of ROOT, do you have these seals?" he asked.

Yamato shook his head, "No, I think the seal may have begun once I left ROOT" he replied.

Kakashi nodded in understanding, he then turned away from the seal on Sai tongue to the one on his forehead, and honestly this seal shocked Kakashi and Yamato more so than the seal on his tongue.

"I'm guessing that this also has to do with Danzo" he asked, Sai nodded in confirmation, "This is bad, how could Danzo get his hands on the Hyuga Clan's seal?" Kakashi asked himself.

Yamato could only shrug, "I'm on the same boat as you are senpai, I have no idea what's going on in ROOT nowadays" he replied.

The masked Jonin sighed in frustration, this revelation on Danzo's actions within ROOT were giving him a major headache, and he was certain that if Naruto were to learn of these there would be trouble to come.

Kakashi looked back at Sai, "I know you're forbidden to tell us anything of valuable information about Danzo because of the seal on your tongue, but could you at least give us a hint as to what the problem is?" he asked him.

Sai thought about it for a few seconds before nodding his head, he was fearful of telling them the truth but he knew this was the only way he could repent for his actions against his friend, he looked at both Kakashi and Yamato with guilt-ridden expression, "I only need one word to hint at the things going on in my organization, Hokage" he said as Kakashi's eyes slowly widened in realization.

Kakashi's seemingly never-ending patience quickly wore off as he gripped Sai's collar lifting him up from the ground, his lone Mangekyo Sharingan was spinning wildly as he stared at the pale young man threateningly.

"Danzo's planning something against Naruto isn't he? Did you have something to do with this?" he asked angrily.

Sai nodded meekly as he confirmed Kakashi's assumptions, the masked Jonin slapped Sai on his right cheek leaving Sai with a large red mark, before Kakashi could strike Sai once more Yamato quickly ran over and stopped the masked Jonin from doing so.

"Kakashi-senpai stop, we agreed to understand things from his point of view first, we need to listen before we judge" he said, Kakashi glanced at Yamato before snorting indignantly, he dropped Sai to the ground ungracefully as he waited for an explanation.

"Sai you're going to tell us as much as you can about what is going on, and if I don't like your answer then there will be hell to pay, are we clear?" Kakashi said sternly.

Sai looked up at the two Jonin and nodded, "Truthfully I never wanted this to happen but the seals placed on me prevented me from disobeying my master. I hope you understand I had no choice in the matter, I was forced to betray the man I consider as my friend" he said sincerely.

Both Jonin listened intently and stayed silent in order to allow him to continue his explanation.

"I was made to be a spy, I can't give you any specifics but all I could say is that Naruto is in danger"

Kakashi shook his head in disappointment, "When you first joined the team we all accepted you, you were a member of Team Seven but I guess you proved us wrong. You betrayed one of us, and the only real rule I have in my team was never to abandon a comrade" he said.

Sai looked down ashamed, "You have to believe me, and I could not do anything about it. If I could go back in time and stop this I would".

Yamato looked at Sai sympathetically, being a former member of ROOT he could understand the plight of the young man. He himself had been forced to do things he never wanted to do.

"Senpai let's not be so hard on Sai, he's obviously just as devastated as we are, and it's not like he did this out of his own free will" he said.

Kakashi looked at Yamato in surprise, he thought about the situation and recollected himself, and he let the emotions get the better of him. Although he understood why Sai did it, he still did not like it, not one bit.

Yamato then directed his attention from Kakashi back to Sai, "Is there anything else you could tell us?" he asked.

"Hai, but you may not like what I'm about to tell you. I could divulge this information since it has nothing to do with Danzo"

"Alright then, tell us. What is it about?" Kakashi asked impatiently.

"It's about Sasuke Uchiha" he answered.

Kakashi looked at Sai both confused and intrigued, "What about Sasuke?" he asked while fearing for the worst.

"He is now a part of Akatsuki, he joined recently and he managed to capture the Hachibi Jinchuuriki. Naruto was informed of this by Kumo ninjas and he kept this piece of information as a secret, I don't know what he might do but all I know is that Sasuke is coming after Naruto now"

The Jonin sensei of Team Seven was distraught and disbelieving of the news given to him by Sai, 'What kind of dark road have you taken Sasuke? Has your lust for power and vengeance corrupted you to harm the one person you once considered as a brother?' he thought to himself.

The room was deathly silent as Kakashi remained unmoving due to the news about his troubled student, Yamato and Sai stood awkwardly as they waited for Kakashi to recompose himself. Both of them were new to Team Seven and so they hadn't experienced the bonds of the original genin team, but they have met the last Uchiha himself during their mission to Tenchi Bridge.

After a few minutes Kakashi shook his head as he broke himself out of his thoughts, "You're telling the truth aren't you?" he asked Sai causing the ROOT operative to nod his head.

Kakashi ran his hand across his hair, he was in utter disbelief that his former student would stoop so low as to this. He never expected Sasuke to go as far as join Akatsuki knowing full well that they were after Naruto, he always thought that he had a shred of humanity or even kindness inside of him, but it seems that was not the case at all.

He continued to ponder about the situation and then he remembered Naruto's involvement in all this, his eyes widened as he realized that Naruto knew all of this and kept the information to himself. This was bad, knowing Naruto and his bond with Sasuke if they were to fight Naruto was likely to hold back, and that could endanger his life against Sasuke.

The interim-Hokage stared at Sai impassively, "I think I have an idea that could help protect Naruto and it involves you" he said and Sai straightened up to hear the copy-nin's plan. "Do you want to redeem yourself? Do you want to make it up to Naruto and fix your past mistakes?" he asked.

"More than anything Kakashi-sensei, Naruto is my friend and I will do everything in capabilities to repent for my past transgressions" he said sincerely, although ROOT operatives were usually removed from their emotions, both Yamato and Kakashi could hear and see the emotions of the stoic boy.

"Very well then, I need you to go to the Land of Iron and search for Naruto, and I need you to protect him in any way you see fit. You will also bring a team with you, they are for precautionary reasons, and from that team you will bring Sakura with you, from everyone available I trust her the most. Unfortunately however neither I nor Yamato are able to go, at the moment Konoha needs their leaders. At the moment I'm stepping in as interim-Hokage while Yamato is the leader of the reconstruction of Konoha"

Sai nodded, "That is no problem, I will gather my team to help search for Naruto and from then on I'll go solo. I will protect Naruto from the shadows" he said confidently.

"We will also keep the information about Danzo a secret for now, if word about Danzo reaches others that might put Konoha in a bad light and it may lead to a public panic. We will keep any information about Danzo's plan a secret between the three of us" ordered Kakashi.

"Hai Kakashi-sensei, I will not fail"

"Alright then, this will be a secret S-Rank mission I'll be handing out to you as the interim-Hokage. I'm placing my trust in you Sai and you better deliver, do not misplace my trust. If you betray Naruto one more time I will personally hunt you down, are we clear?"

Sai stood unintimidated by Kakashi, his resolve was unwavering, and he needed to find a way to redeem himself in the eyes of his teammates, friends and comrades. "Of course Kakashi-sensei, consider it done. Naruto will return safe and sound" he said.

"Good, you're dismissed" he said, Sai nodded before leaving the room quickly to search for a team to help him track down Naruto.

Once Sai left Kakashi breathed out a sigh of relief, "Kami how does Minato-sensei or Naruto handle this? I've only been here for a few days and I already hate the job" Kakashi mumbled.

"Don't ask me senpai. I couldn't agree more with you. But do you think it was wise to send Sai in this mission" asked Yamato.

"Honestly Yamato I have no idea, but I could sense the emotion in his voice and there was no faking that. I think he really wants to repent for his betrayal and only time will tell if I made the right decision to send him out in search of Naruto. I pray to Kami that I am right on this one"

"You and me both senpai"

* * *

 **With Sai**

Sai quickly went off to the newly built medical buildings within Konoha, he knew that Sakura was going to be located within one of them, and one by one Sai checked each of them individually until he finally found his target.

He noticed Sakura was tending to a young child who seemed to have a cast around his right arm, from what Sai could see he presumed the kid might have broken his arm. He waited for her to finish her check-up on the child and once the kid left happily with a lollipop in his mouth, Sai quickly walked over to Sakura.

"Sakura I need to talk to you about something important" he said causing Sakura to look behind her, the pink haired Kunoichi was surprised to see Sai returning already up and about.

"Can this wait Sai? I'm kind of busy at the moment"

"Sorry Sakura but no, this is of the utmost importance. It has something to do with both Naruto and Sasuke"

Upon hearing the names of her two teammates it seemingly flipped a switch inside of her, Sakura's expression turned serious as she stared at Sai, "Okay then Sai just give me a couple of minutes then we can talk privately" she said.

Sai waited patiently for a few minutes for Sakura to finish with her medical duties, once she finished her duty she led him to a private area to talk.

"What is it you wanted to tell me Sai?" asked the medic-nin.

"We have reason to believe Naruto is in danger, and the reason is Sasuke" he said. Despite Danzo being the real threat to Naruto, the seal placed on Sai's tongue prevented him from telling her the truth about leader of ROOT, and so the next best thing was Sasuke. It wasn't necessarily too far from the truth considering the fact that Sasuke joined Akatsuki, a secret organization whose goal is to capture and collect the nine tailed beasts, one of which is sealed within Naruto.

Sakura gasped, "What do you mean by that Sai? What's happening with Naruto and Sasuke-kun now?" she asked worriedly.

"I hate to tell you this Sakura but Sasuke has joined Akatsuki, he's after Naruto as we speak" he said calmly before looking at Sakura, and what Sai saw was a look of utter shock and devastation. Tears were cascading down the poor girl's face as she learned the truth about her missing teammate.

Sai looked on sympathetically, he would never know the bond the original Team Seven had but from what he has seen, the trio of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura seemed to be extremely close, once upon a time.

"I'm sorry Sakura, I really am" he said before quickly being slapped by the pink haired Kunoichi, this was the second time today he has been hit but this one hurt much more than Kakashi's did. He couldn't complain though, from the things he has done lately he felt that he has more than deserved it.

"You're lying, I know you're lying. From the first day you joined Team Seven you've been out to get Sasuke-kun, he won't do this, he can't do this" she screamed accusingly, but despite how much she was in denial a part of her believed Sai's words.

"Like I said Sakura I am sorry it turned out this way but you have to realize I am not lying to you. He joined Akatsuki and Kumo ninjas are after him, he captured the Hachibi Jinchuuriki and he is likely after Naruto next"

Sakura continued to shake her head as if attempting to block out Sai's voice, Sakura continued to cling to her perfect image of Team Seven where all of them were reunited and Sasuke was redeemed. But it seems that dream will never come to fruition.

"This can't be true. This can't be true" she mumbled repeatedly as she continued to cry for her team.

Sai frowned as he saw the state of his teammate, "Sakura you have to understand that despite what you say this is all true" he said.

"If this were true then why weren't we told of this? Surely information such as this would have been made public, and how come you are aware of this information"

The ROOT operative shook his head at the young woman's assumptions, "Let's just say the information about Sasuke was leaked to me, but as for others this information remained a secret because Naruto was Hokage. I think have reason to believe that knowing Naruto he likely going to attempt to bring back Sasuke by himself despite him being a part of Akatsuki, since he is going to the summit he may even possibly ask the Raikage for forgiveness for Sasuke's actions".

Sakura was surprised that Naruto had something to do about all this, a part of her was angry but overall she was just confused, "How could he do this? He promised me that both of us would bring him back together. I'm not some fragile little girl anymore, he doesn't have to shield me and protect me all the time. I trained to be by his side when we bring Sasuke-kun back to Konoha" she said clearly frustrated with the current news given to her.

Sai couldn't help but sigh, he himself was losing his patience since time was of the essence if he wished to locate and track down Naruto. He looked at Sakura as he grew impatient with the denial of the medic-nin, "It's because he doesn't want you to worry Sakura, that's why he's doing all of this. He wanted to keep all of this a secret so that you wouldn't have to learn the bitter truth, I know I'm a new member of this team and I didn't experience the pain, loss, heartache, friendship and hardships the three of you experienced. But even someone like me could see that Naruto loves you, he loves you more than anything" he said intensely.

Sakura's eyes were widened as she learned that Naruto loved her, 'I never knew he loved me, I always thought it was just a childish crush he would grow out of' she thought to herself.

"Sakura you need to trust me, Sasuke is currently proving to be a problem not only to Naruto but to all five nations, he is a member of Akatsuki and as of right now they have eight of the nine tailed beasts because of him. Both you and I know that Naruto is the last remaining target" he told her.

"Why did all of this have to happen? Life was so much simpler when we were younger and now everyone is just so messed up at the moment. Why couldn't Team Seven just be happy, why couldn't we just stick together, why did we all have to break apart?" she yelled almost pleadingly.

"I don't know Sakura, I honestly cannot tell you the answers to your questions. But what I do know is we have to fix this Sakura, right now Naruto is hurting. The promise you gave him is slowly killing him inside, he tries to hide but many of us see just how much pain he is in. The promise you gave him is like a cursed seal, right now Sasuke is causing Naruto immense pain but I think you are causing him pain as well" he replied. Truthfully Sai didn't mean to be so harsh to Sakura but it just came out that way, he also knew that she needed to open her eyes towards Naruto's inner suffering.

Sakura then began to remember her past with Naruto, and she continued to walk down memory lane the guilt flooded inside of her and even more tears began to fall down her cheeks. Nearly every memory she had with Naruto included her hitting him, belittling him and hurting him in physically, emotionally or mentally.

'Oh Kami what have I done, how could he still love me after all the shit I put him through?' she asked herself. The realization of all this was too much for Sakura, her knees grew weak as she fell to the floor bawling her eyes out.

Sai walked over to Sakura and placed a hand on her shoulder in order to comfort his teammate, "Sakura everyone relies on Naruto too much, when I see him I recently I no longer see the happy-go-lucky person we were accustomed to seeing. Now what I see in Naruto is sadness, he is suffering because of your undying love towards his best friend, who from what we see is currently on a goal to kill Naruto himself. Add that along the pressure of being Hokage, your promise and his sense of duty to Konoha are now clashing and he is paying the price for it" he explained as sympathetically as he could.

Sakura remained silent during Sai's little speech, Sai could only sigh at how Sakura was taking the news, "Look Sakura I'm not saying you have to love Naruto back, in the end who you want to love is your own choice. But what I mean is that the promise of a lifetime you gave Naruto is a burden similar to the cursed seal. I think we owe it to him to relieve him of this burden. I hate to say it Sakura but I think you and Naruto need to abandon you're goal of bringing Sasuke back. He's labelled as an international criminal now and he also poses a threat to not only Naruto, but our village as a whole" he expressed sternly.

Sakura stood up and faced Sai, and the latter recoiled in surprise, the Sakura he knew was a strong woman but the Sakura in front of him seemed broken and fragile. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were wet clearly due to her crying.

"Please say no more Sai, I understand what we must do now. If this is what I could do for Naruto then I will do it to protect him" she said without a trace of emotion, which greatly surprised Sai.

The young man nodded, "Okay then how do you want to go about this?" he asked.

Sakura breathed in and out in order to calm herself down, at the moment she wanted to just lay down and cry but she needed to prove that she was no longer the old Sakura during her genin days, it was her turn to protect Naruto after all the times he protected her. Sakura's feelings towards Naruto were still unsure, a part of her despite all this still loved Sasuke but she couldn't deny the fact that he might one day kill Naruto.

"If we're going to track Naruto down we'll need help. I'll personally go and find us help to search for Naruto, you just get ready and meet us by the front gates of the village. We'll go and find Naruto and I'll talk to him myself" she ordered, Sai nodded before vanishing via a plume of smoke.

Sakura was left there to her thoughts, she quickly went and grabbed her wallet out of her pockets and pulled out a folded picture of Team Seven back when they were genin. A hint of a smile appeared on Sakura's face as she saw the rivalry Naruto and Sasuke had earlier on, unfortunately now it escalated to epic proportions.

* * *

 **Front Gates of Konoha**

In the front gates of Konoha four young ninjas were preparing to leave for their journey, each of them prepared their own personal bags and jackets for the snowy weather in the Land of Iron.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Sakura.

"Of course Sakura-chan, the flames of youth will lead us to my eternal rival Naruto" Lee yelled enthusiastically.

Kiba had a feral grin to his face, "Sakura, please. I was born ready" he said oozing with confidence, the pink haired Kunoichi rolled her eyes at the antics of the members of the Konoha 11.

Sakura then glanced towards Sai, "What about you Sai? You ready?" she asked.

"Hai, I believe it's time for us to leave" he said, the three chunin all nodded before finally setting off to their journey.

As the four of them made their way in search of Naruto, Sai remained reserved, 'Naruto I will not fail you this time. I will protect you be it from Danzo or Sasuke' he silently thought to himself.

Sakura was also pondering the weight of the situation along with her complicated past with Naruto, 'You've protected me during our whole tenure as ninjas, and it's time for me to return the favour'.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The Hokage and his three bodyguards were walking at a brisk pace on the way to the Land of Iron for the Five Kage Summit, the journey for the trio had been silent so far.

But their silence was quickly broken by a loud sneeze, courtesy of the Hokage, "Achoo" he said as he rubbed his sniffling nose.

Shikamaru looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, "Hey Naruto, you alright? You weren't sick a while ago" he said.

"I think I'm alright, someone's probably just thinking about me"

The Hokage's advisor rolled his eyes, "Somehow I really doubt that" he replied nonchalantly as he took another drag from his cigarette.

An annoyed tick quickly formed on Naruto's forehead, "Why is that so hard to believe Shikamaru?" he asked rhetorically, "And by the way if you keep that smoking habit of yours your only killing yourself in the long run".

"You can't really talk Naruto, with the amount of sodium you eat from all your ramen and junk food you probably shouldn't even be alive" replied Shikamaru.

Naruto tried to think of a smart and witty comeback but nothing came to mind, Neji smirked as he watched the two bicker like little children, "He's got you there Naruto" he said.

Naruto glared mockingly at Neji, "Stay out of this, this is between me and Shikamaru" he told the Hyuga prodigy.

Before Neji could reply the trio heard a rustling around the forestation surrounding the road, the three young ninjas looked at each and nodded before preparing their individual weapons or jutsus.

"You can come out now, we know you're there" yelled Naruto as the three prepared for whoever may jump out of the trees and bushes around them.

The trio waited patiently for a few seconds, and then just like that around about twelve masked men jumped from the trees and bushes wielded kunai and swords, all of which were targeting Naruto.

As the masked ninjas ran towards the Hokage and his entourage, Naruto quickly went through hand seals, "Don't worry you two, I've got this" he told both Neji and Shikamaru.

" **Fūton: Shinkūha** " yelled Naruto as he exhaled blades of wind which quickly sliced and diced each of his assailants. The ten ninjas all landed on the ground with a hard thud, and blood was soaking the floor around them, but despite the loss of blood they were experiencing, Naruto made sure not to target any of their vitals. He needed to know why they were attacking him first.

Shikamaru and Neji looked on surprised at the new wind technique of Naruto's, it was quite powerful and they could see that Naruto had not been slacking off in his training as of late. With the current progression Naruto was going through in terms of his ninja abilities, the two could only imagine how powerful Naruto would become years from now. Even at the age of sixteen he was already a Kage level ninja.

Meanwhile Naruto was walking over to one of the masked men laying on the floor, he pulled the mask away from his face and noticed that he appeared to be just an ordinary man, he didn't even have a Hitai-ate on.

"You're going to tell who you guys are and what you're doing, or else" Naruto said in a threatening manner.

The ninja gulped as he saw the Hokage, he hadn't expected the young man in front of him instead he and his fellow assailants were led to believe that Danzo would have been chosen as Hokage.

"Who are you? Are you really the Hokage?" he asked fearfully.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha. But the real question is who are you?"

The ninja began to sweat from his forehead, he and his group have apparently been misinformed about the choice of Rokudaime Hokage, and now it seems they may pay the price for it.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, we thought the Hokage was going to be that snake Danzo. We were preparing to attack him" said the ninja as he stuttered out the response, he was both fearful and worried for his safety along with the safety of his comrades.

Naruto sighed and massaged his temples, he should have expected something such as this; "Of course this all leads back to Danzo" he mumbled to himself.

"What did Danzo do to you and your village?" asked Naruto.

The mysterious ninja didn't necessarily want to tell him about their feud with Danzo, but at the moment he had no choice but to do so, the ninja sighed before saying "He destroyed our small village and killed a few of us".

Naruto nodded in understanding, he looked at his assailant who was laying on the ground, "I'm sorry about what Danzo did but I am not Danzo. I am Naruto Uzumaki and I am the Hokage, not that madman. I will give you all one chance to leave and we will not go after you, just as long as you will not attempt to harm me or anyone from Konoha ever again. Are we clear?"

The mysterious ninja nodded repeatedly, "Hai Hokage-sama, thank you for your mercy" he said before slowly waking up and gathering his fellow villagers. The group of ninjas left in a hurry as to avoid the wrath of the Hokage.

Shikamaru and Neji walked closer to Naruto, "Are you sure we should let them go? I mean they did attack us" said Neji.

"I think they learned their lesson, I can assure you they won't be bothering us again"

"Don't worry Neji, Naruto's right I doubt they'll try something as stupid as this again. We should probably leave now though, we wouldn't want to be late for that troublesome summit meeting" advised Shikamaru.

"I guess you're right Shikamaru" Naruto answered.

"Of course I'm right Naruto, I'm always right. This is why I'm your advisor"

Naruto merely rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say Shikamaru, if that makes you sleep at night" replied the Hokage before noticing the setting sun, "We should probably set up camp in a while, it's getting quite dark" he continued.

Both Neji and Shikamaru noticed the same thing, the two bodyguards nodded before walking down the path to find a suitable camping location.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

It had been a few days since their encounter with the mysterious group of ninjas, today the trio's journey made a stop by a small village within the Land of Iron, they were probably a day away from the summit venue.

But unfortunately due to a lack of supplies the trio were forced to stop by the small civilian village to restock with their equipment, food and water. The Hokage and his bodyguards quickly went around the small village purchasing supplies for the rest of their journey to the summit venue and back to Konoha. After they finished their shopping the three ninjas saw the skies darkening, rather than continuing their journey they decided to rent and rest at one of the nearby motels in the area.

As the three walked over to the motel carrying their newly bought supplies, they all heard a voice approaching them and calling for them.

"Naruto" someone yelled, the Hokage and his two bodyguards looked behind them to find the source of that voice and they were surprised to see Sakura running towards them and waving at them enthusiastically, with Lee, Sai and Kiba just behind her.

"Sakura-chan?" mumbled Naruto as he saw her and the three ninjas accompanying her walking at their direction. Once they made it in front of the trio, the four of them gathered their breath after their strenuous and continuous running.

"Sakura-chan, Kiba, Sai, Lee what are you guys all doing here? Is something wrong in Konoha? What is it?" frantically asked the young Hokage, clearly confused by the appearance of his four friends. Behind Naruto, both Shikamaru and Neji were also surprised by the arrival of the four of them.

"Naruto I need to tell you something important" said Sakura with a blush and a small smile adorning her face.

"What's so important that you had to travel as far as you did to tell me?

Sakura's blush deepened as she shyly glanced towards Naruto's cerulean eyes, "I wanted to tell you, that I love you Naruto".

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard her confession, and so did everybody else's. Shikamaru, Kiba and Neji were all in absolute shock, Lee seemed both shocked and heartbroken, while Sai hid his surprise better than the rest, but deep inside he couldn't believe what Sakura was saying.

Sakura saw that Naruto couldn't mumble out a response, the shock of her confession was too surprising even for the most surprising ninja of Konoha.

"What I'm saying is that there is nothing between Sasuke and me anymore, I have no idea what I was thinking falling for someone like him, but I've opened my eyes and I'm now confessing my feelings for you, so listen up Naruto"

Naruto's shocked expression did not change one bit, "W-what do you mean Sakura? What are you saying? If this is a joke Sakura then this isn't funny" replied Naruto as his frustration and suspicion began to grow.

"I promise this is not a joke Naruto, I realized there was no sense in liking Sasuke, I mean he's a criminal and a fugitive, and he's a part of Akatsuki right now. I can't act as a child forever, I needed to open my eyes"

Neji, Lee and Kiba all looked at Sakura and Naruto in disbelief, they had not heard that Sasuke was now in Akatsuki, this valuable piece of information was not given to them, and now Sakura just seemingly dropped a bombshell on them.

Naruto's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before glaring at Sakura, "How did you know that? That was supposed to be a secret" Naruto said rather loudly.

Sakura gulped and began to feel slightly nervous, she thought of the best excuse she could, "Kakashi-sensei found out and he told me. You know how he is with information gathering, there's nobody better" she lied coolly, Sakura didn't want to throw Sai under the bus and so she lied to preserve the truth from Naruto.

Naruto squinted his eyes at her, he thought about her reply and it held up. Kakashi was a master at information gathering and espionage, second only to his deceased master Jiraiya, he was not surprised if Kakashi somehow managed to gather such private and confidential information.

'Dammit, how did you find this information sensei? I should have done a better job hiding this' he cursed inwardly.

Naruto was quickly broken out of his reverie as he heard Sakura continue her small speech, "So you see Naruto you don't have to continue that promise you made for me, you could stop chasing Sasuke now" said the pink haired Kunoichi with an innocent smile directed at the blonde Jinchuuriki.

Naruto clenched his fist as he suddenly learned of Sakura's motive, 'I know she doesn't love me, she's obviously using my feelings for her to manipulate me. She clearly thinks I'm just some puppet she could control because of my feelings for her' he thought bitterly as he began to unknowingly release some of his chakra into the air around them.

The ground was slightly shaking as Naruto's eyes began to slowly emit a vermilion colour, the Kyuubi wasn't escaping but Naruto's sudden emotions of anger and betrayal from the girl he loved began to spark his emotions, and a portion of the Kyuubi's chakra was leaking out.

The civilians around Naruto were freaking out and panicking due to the immense power radiating from Naruto, while the Konoha ninjas were confident that Naruto was not going to lose control, but they prepared for it just in case.

Naruto turned to Sakura with a cold and hurt look which made Sakura flinch, "Did something happen Sakura? Why now out of all times? Why me out of all the people? Don't think that I don't know what you're doing, I'm not the same idiot you knew when we were genin Sakura. I'm not a puppet for you to control".

Sakura was surprised and slightly disappointed when Naruto left the usual 'chan' suffix out of her name, she began to panic and so she waved her hands defensively, "You're not a puppet to me Naruto, you mean too much to me. Nothing happened I swear, I just realized the truth about Sasuke" she said as she began to remember her past memories with the last Uchiha and with the original Team Seven. As the memories flooded in her head tears flooded down her cheeks, she approached the angered Hokage and hugged him lovingly, her head placed on his chest as she listened to his soothing heartbeat.

"Naruto, you have to understand, Sasuke just keeps getting farther and farther away from me, but you have been by my side through everything. You are my inspiration and you encouraged me to be the person I am today, I realized who you really are Naruto" said Sakura as Naruto remained silent and unresponsive.

"Naruto, you're now the hero of Konoha and the Hokage of our village, you've achieved your dream to have everybody admire, respect and acknowledge you, and I'm a part of that group. But Sasuke on the other hand is the exact opposite, he's breaking the law and committing crimes, all he's ever done is break my heart. But you Naruto, you've always been there to fix my heart, you make me feel loved, and you make me feel safe, and that's why from the bottom of my heart, I love…."

Before Sakura could finish her speech Naruto grabbed a hold of her shoulders as he looked at her eye to eye as blue met green. Naruto was having mixed emotions at this moment, the girl he loved had just confessed the words he's been longing to hear but the timing and circumstances of everything simply made it too suspicious, he realized that she was playing with his feelings and manipulating him using his adoration and love for her.

All of this is a bitter pill to swallow for Naruto, he could see it in her eyes that she was lying, and he could see it in her eyes that she still had feelings for his best friend Sasuke, the man she had loved for as long as he could remember. The man who was out to kill him. But at the same time he could see a slight sincerity and truthfulness in her words, unfortunately however that was dwarfed by her clear feelings towards their mutual teammate.

Naruto realized that a small part of Sakura may have feelings for him, but he couldn't accept it if she still had the same emotions towards Sasuke. As confident as Naruto may appear, deep inside he was always insecure when it came to Sakura, he was always feeling inadequate or undeserving of Sakura, he always thought she deserved the best and ever since the day he knew Sasuke, he had always been the best and so it was instilled in his mind that Sasuke was best for Sakura.

The young Hokage didn't want that insecurity looming over him, the feeling that he may always be second place to Sasuke when I came to Sakura's heart, even for someone as righteous and pure as Naruto, even he was not prone to jealousy. He never wanted the possibility that if he did end up with Sakura, she could leave him without remorse for his best friend, if Sasuke were to return to Konoha.

Aside from all of that, another thing Naruto never wanted to happen was to be manipulated. He was an independent man who was more than capable of making his own decisions, but now it seemed someone was attempting to manipulate him, and it was the person he last expected. It was Sakura who was manipulating him using his love for her, Naruto never expected a betrayal such as this coming for her, his best friend, the love of his life, his comrade in arms and his teammate.

He tried to calm himself down before the Kyuubi may try to do something to take advantage of the situation beforehand, the anger he was currently feeling was not helping the current situation. Naruto realized he needed to get this all over with before he may possibly lose control of his wild and unstable emotions.

"I never expected for you to do this to me Sakura, this hurt me more than any punch, rejection or insult you have ever given me in the past. It's true I love you, but I'm starting to regret my love for you. I'm not your puppet Sakura, you can't control or manipulate me by using my feelings for you" he said as Sakura's eyes widened, she had never expected her confession to turn out this way and only now did she realize how foolish her plan was.

Naruto squeezed Sakura's shoulders harder as she winced by the sharp pain, Naruto eyes seemingly stared directly at her soul; "Sakura, I hate people who lie to themselves" he finished with a clearly pained expression.

Sakura stood there in shock and disbelief as she watched Naruto began to slowly walk from her. Naruto continued to walk not even minding the shocked looks of his fellow ninjas, as he passed through his two bodyguards he gave them instructions without even looking back at them, " Shikamaru, Neji I'm going to go to the motels now and I will reserve a room for myself and I will reserve one for each of you. I do not want to be disturbed for the time being, do whatever you want for now but we'll be living first thing in the morning" he ordered as both bodyguards nodded slowly, they were clearly uncomfortable being witnesses towards that strange confrontation between Naruto and Sakura.

Once Naruto was out of sight Shikamaru grabbed another cigarette from his pockets and lit it with his lighter, "Troublesome" he muttered before glaring at medic-nin, "Just what the hell were you thinking Sakura? Why did you have to suddenly pull this shit now of all times?" he asked while being clearly annoyed and disappointed at Tsunade's protégé.

"What are you saying Shikamaru? I'm doing all of this to protect him" she replied with a defensive tone causing Shikamaru to shake his head in disapproval.

"That's bullshit Sakura, this is not protecting Naruto. You hurt him more than any jutsu could, how could you try and manipulate Naruto like this? I thought you cared for him, but it looks like I'm wrong. It appears you're still stuck up on that traitor" Shikamaru scolded disapprovingly.

"That's not true, I am trying to protect Naruto. I'm doing this to help him before he goes and tries to save Sasuke again" Sakura yelled pleadingly.

"You just don't understand Sakura, Naruto is no longer bent on returning Sasuke to Konoha. Naruto is giving Sasuke one final chance at redemption, and if Sasuke were to return he would still have to pay for his crimes"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, she was once again feeling conflicted and confused at the situation before her, on one hand it appeared that Naruto was not going to endanger his life by attempting to bring back Sasuke, but on the other hand it seemed that Naruto was now going to go back on his promise to her. Only now when the realistic possibility of Sasuke dying arise did she begin to realize the weight of her decisions, she still didn't know how she truly felt about Sasuke but a part of her still cared for him, but Sakura was simply unsure whether it bordered around friendship or love. Her original plan was to simply convince Naruto to forbid their goal of brining back Sasuke, it didn't include possibly killing the last Uchiha.

With her dream world quickly shattering her knees began to buckle as she fell to the ground crying, once more.

Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Sai and Lee looked at Sakura full of remorse, none of them ever wanted to see a girl cry, especially someone who they all considered as a friend.

Only Shikamaru remained unaffected as he snorted indignantly, "Just stop the drama act Sakura, if your intentions were really to protect Naruto then you wouldn't be crying as you are right now. This just goes to show that you never changed from that weak genin we knew from way back before, everyone in our group has grown up and so should you. Hell even Naruto has grown up and he's even our Hokage right now".

More tears fell down Sakura's face, she began to bang her fists on the snowy floors, "Shut up, Shut up, Shut up" she yelled repeatedly, bystanders were quickly walking away from the strange and emotional display being shown by the ninja visitors.

Shikamaru was about to continue to give Sakura a piece of his mind but before he could continue he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked behind him and it was Lee, and the taijutsu expert was feeling remorseful towards Sakura.

"Don't you think she's had enough Shikamaru?" he asked.

"Frankly Lee no, no I don't think she's had enough" he replied before once again staring at the fragile and weeping Sakura, "Sakura you have no idea how much Naruto loves you. He was willing to go through hell and back for you, I could see it in his eyes earlier that he was beginning to feel indifferent about Sasuke, but he only persevered because of his promise to you. And personally I think he's an idiot to continue to keep a promise like that for such a long time, but that's what made him Naruto. You never noticed the pain in his eyes when he saw you long for Sasuke, or when you begged for him to bring back the traitor. You could see his heart shatter into a million pieces".

"All of us here except for you and Sai were members of the Sasuke Retrieval Team, I even led the team, and all of us almost died bringing back the traitor. The council forbid the truth about all our injuries to reach the public, they didn't want to vilify Sasuke since he was the 'Last Loyal Uchiha' and so they made it seem that he was kidnapped by the Sound Four and forced against his will to join Orochimaru, and they made it seem as if our injuries were minor. That couldn't be farther from the truth" continued Shikamaru.

Kiba sighed as he remembered the injuries he, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, Choji and Lee all sustained from that lone retrieval mission, "Listen Shikamaru, I don't think she needs to hear this" he said obviously feeling sorry for Sakura. Kiba was disappointed at the pink haired Kunoichi and how she was treating Naruto, but he couldn't bear to see one of his friends continue to suffer like this, no matter how much she deserved this.

Shikamaru glared at Kiba, "Guys she needs to understand the things she put Naruto through, she needs to understand the suffering all of us had gone through to retrieve that bastard Sasuke" replied the Hokage's advisor, effectively shutting all of them up.

Sakura wanted to cover her ears before Shikamaru could continue his speech, but she needed to learn the truth about the events of the Sasuke Retrieval mission. She like many others were not given information at the state of injuries that they sustained, most of them were given generic answers such as broken or fractured bones, they were never told of anything truly serious.

Shikamaru sighed as he recalled that day, that was the day he felt that he failed as leader, but now she needed to realize the sacrifices and hardships they all went through.

Shikamaru then began to explain the casualties and injuries which resulted from their mission all those years ago, "During the mission to retrieve Sasuke all of us were diagnosed with injuries, thankfully because of Temari and my quick thinking I managed to escape with only a few broken fingers, but everyone was not as lucky as I was. Choji suffered extreme chakra exhaustion, various broken bones and a few punctured organs. Lee would have died had it not been for Gaara, Kiba and Akamaru were also close to death from broken bones and blood loss. Neji had a punctured lung, and he broke many of the bones in his torso, he was also suffering from severe blood loss and chakra exhaustion. But all of these paled to the punishment Naruto endured" said the Nara heir.

Sakura was surprised by all of this, she lifted her head and glanced at Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru and Lee, tears were evident on her face due to the guilt and grief she was experiencing as of right now, "Is this true?" she asked them and slowly all of them nodded slowly, her breathing started to become erratic as she could only imagine what could have happened at the fight between her two teammates. She sighed as she prepared herself from what was to come, "What happened to Naruto?" she reluctantly asked.

"It was not pretty, during the mission Naruto fought Sasuke himself. I'll spare you the gruesome details but when we found him he saw suffering from punctured organs, third-degree burns, a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, a broken jaw, a few broken ribs, severe blood loss and extreme chakra exhaustion. But that was not the worst part, when Naruto was found there was a gaping hole where his heart should be, thankfully Naruto survived but all of us realized that the final wound was because of Sasuke's Chidori. Naruto also had similar wounds around his shoulders showing you that Sasuke tried to kill Naruto intentionally, and more than once but luckily Naruto dodged or blocked those attacks" Shikamaru answered with a pang of guilt, all those injuries he blamed on his leadership, to this day they remain among his biggest regrets.

Sakura gasped as she soaked in all of this information, from what she previously heard the battle between Naruto and Sasuke was a standard battle between two Chunin-Level shinobi, but only now did she learn that Sasuke was actually trying to kill Naruto during their meeting. No other person knew a technique such as the Chidori other than their sensei, and she was sure as hell that Kakashi had nothing to do with all of this. She couldn't believe that even earlier on Sasuke had tried to kill Naruto, she used to believe that Sasuke had only grown darker the longer he stayed with Orochimaru, but now it seems the Sasuke she knew, or at the least the Sasuke she thought she knew was just a figment of her childlike imagination.

'Maybe I didn't really know the real Sasuke, all he's ever talked about or thought about was killing his brother' Sakura thought to herself as she came to realize just how much of an enigma Sasuke was, maybe it was just her childhood crush on him that made her believe that Sasuke may have been a different person than what he is right now. Maybe she simply had formed a perfect image of Sasuke in her head, a version of Sasuke which may never have truly existed.

"So you see Sakura, Naruto and the rest of us paid the price of your promise to him. You need to realize that Sasuke is a danger to you, me, Naruto and all of Konoha, I don't know whatever bond you three used to have but even Naruto realized what had to be done, and so should you. I mean he's tried to kill Naruto before, so what's stopping him from doing so right now?" said Shikamaru as he began to adopt a softer voice, he believed Sakura has had enough of his scolding and lecturing.

"And quite frankly Sakura, this is the worst time you could have done this. For the past few weeks Naruto has been absolutely stressed out with his duties as Hokage, he is currently overseeing the reconstruction of our villages, he is about to partake in a Five Kage Summit, he is developing alliances with other villages, he is preparing for his inevitable battle with Sasuke, and he is making his case for the Jonin Vote months from now. The requirements for Naruto have continued to pile on and now this only adds to Naruto's emotional pains, as his advisor this is the absolute worst time for this to happen to him"

Neji sighed as he walked beside Shikamaru, he interjected in the conversation with his own input, "I hate to say this but Shikamaru's right, you need to see that the world we live in is not all butterflies and rainbows. I mean our job may require us to kill people, were adults now and were ninjas of Konoha. Our job is to protect Konoha from everything, Sasuke included" said the Hyuga prodigy.

Sakura wiped her tears away and shakily stood up, these past few days have been emotionally taxing on Sakura and she was feeling emotions such as remorse, guilt, disappointment and pain all because of her stupid decision, she betrayed Naruto's trust and hurt him, two of the things she vowed never to do.

"I understand" she said shakily in a meek and frail voice, a clear far cry from her usual boisterous and loud self.

Shikamaru nodded, "That's good, I think me and Neji have spent too much time here. He and I have to go back to the motel to prepare for the summit, I hope my talk got to you, and I advise that you four return to Konoha as soon as possible" he said as both he and Neji began to walk away from the group.

Sakura breathed heavily in order to calm herself down, she understood why Shikamaru was angry with her and she held no grudge towards the Nara heir, but all of this was simply too much for her. She sadly looked towards the darkening sky, there was snow dropping but none of them paid attention too much to it, 'I'm so sorry Naruto, it seems that no matter what I do or say will always end up with me hurting you. All I'm capable of doing is inflicting pain to you' she sadly thought to herself causing her lower lip to quiver, she resisted crying one more time.

She wanted to show everyone that she was no longer the genin they once knew, and so she didn't want to appear fragile or weak by crying repeatedly.

Sai walked over to Sakura and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You okay?" he asked.

Sakura nodded slowly, "Yeah, I think I'll be alright" she said void of any emotion.

"Look on the bright side Sakura, Naruto's the most forgiving person we know. When we all return and meet up again in Konoha I'm sure all of this will be water under the bridge" said Kiba as he attempted to comfort the pink haired Kunoichi.

"I could only hope so Kiba, I could only hope so" she replied.

"So what's our next course of action, Sakura?" asked the ROOT operative.

Sakura closed her eyes and began to think of a plan, she coldly stared at the three shinobi, "I need all of your help, I want to track down Sasuke. I want to personally kill him myself" she said with an obvious determination in her voice, the three were surprised by Sakura's plan but none of the objected.

Kiba nodded, "Alright then, me and Akamaru will begin to sniff around to find him" he replied.

"Good" mumbled Sakura, "Now let's head out" she said as the four began to away from the village.

But before the four of them left Sai stopped in his tracks, "Just go on guys I'll meet up with you. I just need to use the bathroom before we go" he quickly blurted out, the three nodded and continued on their path walking at a slow pace so that Sai could catch up to them.

Once the three of them were out of sight, Sai quickly ran to find a random private alley, he weaved through hand seals and summoned an ink clone, which was an exact replica of Sai.

"I need you to accompany Sakura and her group, but make sure none of them are suspicious. I need you to gather information and inform me about Sakura and her group as well. I'll personally watch over Naruto and make sure Danzo does nothing to harm him again" he explained to the clone causing the ink clone to nod before scurrying off in search of Sakura, Kiba and Lee.

The original Sai walked out of the alley in search of the motel in the area, 'Naruto I will protect you in the shadows. No harm will come to you' Sai silently vowed to himself.

* * *

 **Konoha**

Kakashi was standing inside the Hokage's office as he admired the view of Konoha from the windows right behind the Hokage's desk. He was contemplating a serious decision in his life after he learned of Sasuke's decision, Kakashi was shocked to learn that Sasuke joined Akatsuki and a part of him felt as if he failed Obito by failing to properly teach the last Uchiha. But even though Kakashi still thought of Sasuke as a student and member of Team Seven, he would not hesitate to end his life if he was to harm Naruto.

In Kakashi right hand was a mask, he softly held into it as it held many memories for him, both good and bad. The mask was an ANBU mask and the design was that of a dog, Kakashi was pondering about his role in Konoha as a ninja.

Kakashi breathed in deeply as he gazed upon the mask he once wore as the ANBU Captain Inu, 'This may now be the best way in which I could serve Naruto, but if this is what it takes to help him then so be it. This mask had once represented my darker side, it holds many bad memories, but at the same time it was when I was in ANBU that I was at my best as a ninja. The only difference now is that I'm doing this not to forget the past, but to help the future', with that final thought Kakashi placed the mask back on his face and it fit him like a glove.

At the moment he already wore his old ANBU uniform, but now he finally completed with the mask, and with one final look at Konoha, Kakashi's figure quickly vanished with a plume of smoke.

Kakashi quickly appeared in front of the entrance of the main ANBU base, he walked in slowly in order to reach the office of the ANBU Commander. As Kakashi continued to walk through the halls of his old base, he noticed heads rolling towards his direction, and he hears murmurs about his return. Kakashi's tenure in ANBU was legendary, as a member of Team Ro and as a former ANBU Captain, Inu was considered among the best of the best in ANBU history.

One particular ANBU member looked in awe at the return of Inu, she quickly walked towards the former ANBU Captain and bowed respectfully, "It's good to see you again Inu-taichou" she said with a smile underneath her mask.

Kakashi also smiled underneath his mask as he noticed his former teammate in Team Ro, "It's good to see you again Neko, and it's been a while. We should catch up again sometime" he said.

The purple haired ANBU operative known as Neko nodded before watching Kakashi proceed to the ANBU Commander's office.

When Kakashi arrived in his desired location he was just about to knock but before he could he heard the Commander telling him to enter, he wasn't surprised on bit, to be in ANBU you had to be aware of your surroundings, and to be the Commander in ANBU you had to be the best of the best.

The ANBU Commaner was slightly surprised to see Kakashi arrive in his office with his old ANBU gear on, he had expected someone else other than Kakashi.

"What brings you here Inu?" he asked.

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, "I'm here for one simple reason Commander. I wish to challenge you for your position" he said calmly. In ANBU the ranks of Captain were given via tests and standard promotions, but for the one and only Commander Positon there had to be a battle between the current Commander against the Challenger, and there had to be witnesses involved.

The ANBU Commander grinned underneath his mask, it had been a while since he has had a challenging fight, and there was nobody that could provide a more challenging fight than Kakashi.

"You're on" he said as both Kakashi and he stood up and shook hands as a sign of recognition concerning Inu's challenge.

* * *

 **Land of Iron**

The whole Akatsuki group were making their way to the summit, they had just arrived inside the borders of the Land of Iron but the summit venue was more inland. They estimated that if they travelled non-stop to the summit then they could arrive within about a day, and so the small group of S-Rank criminals were travelling with no rest, they were determined to crash the party.

"Are you ready for this Sasuke?" Madara suddenly asked.

Sasuke snorted, "What kind of question was that? Of course I'm ready, I've been preparing for this day for years" he replied confidently, Madara smirked underneath his mask, he was obviously pleased at the confidence of his group. They weren't necessarily over-confident, but it was the good kind of arrogance wherein they fully believed in their own individual capabilities.

"That's good, I think I'd like to see your battle with Naruto"

Sasuke clenched his fist as he heard Madara utter that name, "Naruto will be no more when I'm through with him. I'll show him my true power".

"That's all and good Sasuke but don't kill him. Just beat him up a bit, we need him alive to extract the Kyuubi" replied the older Uchiha.

"Hn, I'll fight Naruto the way I see fit"

The rest of the journey was silent as each of them were mentally preparing for what was to come, for any other group an attack on the Five Kage Summit would be considered as suicide, but for a group as powerful as Akatsuki the rate of success for a mission like this would be significantly larger.

Sasuke began to grow excited at the prospect of finally fighting against Naruto one more time, it was finally time for him to settle the score between the two of them and prove who was the stronger between both he and Naruto.

'Just you wait Naruto, the time for your demise is fast approaching. I will be the harbinger of your inevitable doom, I will show the world the power of the Uchiha Clan' he thought to himself as he begin to sport a maniacal grin on his face.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

A day had passed since Naruto's confrontation with Sakura, for the rest of the day since then he remained silent and hurt, he barely even spoke to Neji and Shikamaru. Naruto knew that he would one day forgive her, unfortunately at the moment the wounds were still too fresh, but as the saying goes: only time will heal the wounds.

After he woke up, Naruto hastily ordered himself some breakfast before preparing for the rest of his journey, after a whole hour Neji and Shikamaru did the same and the three continued to go in their journey for the Five Kage Summit.

As the three walked down the road, both Neji and Shikamaru looked at Naruto uncomfortably, the silent around them was thick and awkward, this was nothing like any of their previous interactions with Naruto. Both of them saw just how much Naruto was affected by the confession of Sakura. They could see the hurt and heartbreak of Naruto, and they felt sorry for him, he was the last person who deserved to go through such emotional pain.

It was truly a painful confession indeed.

* * *

 **Glossary**

Fūton: Shinkūha - Wind Release: Vacuum Wave

Chidori - One Thousand Birds

 **Author's Notice**

Here is chapter 4 finished, i hoped all of you liked it. I know i may have been too harsh on Sakura but i feel as if she needed this, i wanted character development for each of my characters and i didn't want her to suddenly have a 180 turn on Sasuke without a valid explanation. I believe the original Naruto manga lacked some character development and i hope to fix that with my version of the story. Anyway thanks for reading everybody and thanks for all the support, it really means a lot to me. I will try to update more often from now on since today my summer vacation finally begun so i have more free time. Once again thanks everybody and if any of you have any constructive criticism or questions about the story do not hesitate to comment on the story or pm me :)


	5. The Five Shadows

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Author's Note: First and foremost I would like to thank everybody for reading my story and for the support, all this is much appreciated. Also I would like to announce that my poll has been added to my profile and it is about the stories I plan to write in the future, alongside of this one. You could vote for up to three stories among my list, but the winners of the vote won't automatically mean i will write it. It will play a major factor for me to see which story all of you are interested in, the factors will include the fan interest (Voting), how much i would enjoy writing about the story, and finally if i can write a good plan for my story. Before i write i personally like to make a layout for chapters and how they go, that's just my personal style, i like being prepared and ready.**

 **Another thing i would like to address is the pairings of this story, this story will still be NaruSaku and i'm sorry but i won't change that. A lot of people want NaruHarem or anything but NaruSaku but i apologize, NaruSaku is what i support and i can't really change that. Some of the stories i do plan on writing in the future will be NaruHarem. In my voting poll though as stated i won't add the pairings to the description since I want people to vote for the plot and not just the pairing. But once the votes come in and once i decide what to write i will announce the pairings. The votings for this will likely be closed around about the time i post the next chapter or the one after that possibly. Once again sorry for the people who dislike the pairing of the story, i hope you all still stick around though, i promise it'll be worth it.**

 **Finally as usual any form of constructive criticism, ideas, opinions or questions are more than welcome here. If you have any of those do not hesitate to either pm me or comment, i will do my best to address any of those. Thanks also to all those people who have my stories in their favorites and follows list, it's an honor to know that people enjoy the work you do. I hope the list continues to grow!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Five Shadows**

 **Konoha**

Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha laid in a bed with her eyes closed shut, she had been in a coma for approximately a month because of the injuries she sustained from the invasion of Pein. Then out of the blue her eyes fluttered open, the Hokage stifled a yawn and began to stretch out her old bones as she examined her surroundings. Tsunade cringed at the headache she felt, she began to rub her temples to lessen the migraine she was experiencing.

'Oh Kami this felt worse than any hangover I've ever had' she thought to herself before continuing to observe her current environment, the Godaime's eyes then widened as she recalled her memories before the coma she experienced.

Tsunade frantically stood up to look outside the window from inside the room, and the Sannin was both surprised and extremely happy to see Konoha citizens walking around and interacting with each other, and she was also thankful to see the infrastructure of Konoha having been rebuilt, or being in the process of being rebuilt. A large smile crept up to her face, 'Naruto, you did it' she proudly thought to herself as she began to remember Naruto's return to Konoha, before she suffered her unfortunate coma.

After a moment of admiring Konoha's survival she directed her attention to the room once more, and the first thing she noticed was that she was placed in a private medical room as she saw the charts and medications placed near her bed. The renowned medic-nin walked over to the charts and began to read the records on her well-being and health.

She was pleased to see that nothing too life-threatening happened to her, it was just a case of extreme chakra exhaustion and physical exhaustion causing her body to shut down for a certain amount of time. Having seen enough, the Godaime Hokage decided to head over to her old office to get an update of what has been going on since her coma.

Not wanting to make a scene due to the massive hangover-like migraine she was currently experiencing, Tsunade decided to use the quick and silent way to head over to her old office. The busty blonde woman vanished leaving a plume of smoke as she used the **Shunshin jutsu** to appear right in front of her old office in a matter of seconds.

Before she knocked she heard a couple of voices speaking inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade was began to grow curious, she slowly opened the door, and once the door was opened she stepped inside her office and she was greatly surprised to see her apprentice Shizune handing over a load of the dreaded paperwork to Kakashi, who was already working through his own fair share of the paperwork.

Both Jonin ninjas quickly ceased their actions as they turned their attention towards the door, Shizune's eyes widened out of shock while Kakashi merely looked in surprise at the return of the Godaime. Quickly in a blink of an eye, Shizune began to tear up as she dropped the large pile of paperwork she was carrying and ran up to hug her master. Tsunade was surprised by the sudden contact of her apprentice but it was to be expected, Shizune was like a daughter to her and she had practically raised her since Dan died. The former Hokage returned the affectionate hug while acknowledging Kakashi with a simple nod between the two of them.

"Now, now Shizune I'm alright now" she whispered to her apprentice.

Shizune smiled and nodded as the two separated their hug, "I know Tsunade-sama but I'm just happy to see that you're back and that you're alright. You gave us all quite a scare when you had your coma" she replied.

Tsunade smiled warmly at Shizune and nodded in understanding, having experienced heart-breaking deaths and losses all throughout her lifetime she more than understood how it felt to lose a loved one.

After the greetings and pleasantries between Tsunade with Kakashi and Shizune, Tsunade smirked as she saw the position and seat Kakashi was in, "So it looks like I've been replaced that quickly, doesn't surprise me I mean those old crones never really liked me. But I can't believe you were chosen Kakashi, and I can't believe you actually accepted the position" she said teasingly, a part of Tsunade loved being Hokage and being the leader of Konoha but even she had to admit that the job was too stressful and time-consuming than she would have preferred.

For Tsunade a part of her wanted to remain as Hokage but she realized early on that it wasn't the job for her, she had always been the Hokage mainly to honour the dreams and legacies left by her Grandfather the Shodai Hokage, her granduncle the Nidaime Hokage, her sensei the Sandaime Hokage, her little brother Nawaki, and her deceased lover Dan Kato. But another reason she continued to hold on to the position was to wait and to help prepare Naruto until the time he was ready to finally take the mantle he was inevitably going to inherit. But it seemed that Kakashi had been the successor for her, and she had no problem with that seeing as how renowned and reputable Kakashi was and is as a ninja.

Meanwhile Kakashi was surprised by the sudden assumption of Tsunade until he realized that this was because of the position he was currently in, not wanting to stir up a confusion he waved his hands defensively while chuckling awkwardly.

"That actually isn't the case Tsunade-sama, I'm just filling in at the moment as interim-Hokage. The current and official Rokudaime Hokage was called to a Five Kage Summit and so he went to the Land or Iron to meet with the Raikage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage and Mizukage. Actually the real Hokage is…" before Kakashi could finish Tsunade began to radiate a strong KI as her chakra began to flare uncontrollably. Kakashi was slightly scared and confused as to what was happening, sweat began to pour from his forehead as he attempted to diffuse the situation.

On the other hand Tsunade was surprised to hear Kakashi's explanation, she began to ponder on possible Hokage candidates other than Kakashi and only one name really popped into her mind, the name she loathed since she was a genin, the name which caused her to release such intimidating KI.

"Tell me Kakashi, is it Danzo?" she asked menacingly.

Kakashi sighed as he realized the source of the KI was the possibility of Danzo being Hokage, and not because of something he did. The masked ninjas shook his head, "No Tsunade-sama, Danzo was thankfully not chosen as Hokage" he answered as Tsunade began to calm down.

Tsunade sighed profusely, "Sorry about that Kakashi, it's just that I would rather die than have that man as Hokage. If he were made Hokage then my grandfather, granduncle and sensei would be rolling in their graves. That man is a menace to society" she said with venom laced in her voice.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, "Of course Tsunade-sama, I understand and it's no problem" he replied.

"So tell me Kakashi who's the Hokage? If not you then who?" she asked, before Kakashi could reply Tsunade cringed and shuddered at the other possible candidates which popped into her mind.

The Godaime Hokage was still not fully comfortable with the other possible candidates for Hokage, she realized that most of the talented ninjas of Konoha had at least one screw loose, "Is it Shikaku? Or is it Anko? Oh Kami tell me it isn't Guy" she asked almost pleadingly.

Kakashi shuddered at the thought of having Gai as Hokage, he could just see the 'youthful' laws he would place in Konoha, "No Tsunade-sama, thankfully Gai isn't the Hokage".

"Thank Kami, so who is it then? I can't think of any other candidates for the position"

"Actually Tsunade-sama, the Rokudaime Hokage is Naruto"

Tsunade blinked profusely clearly feeling confused, "Come again?" she asked.

"The Hokage is Naruto right now, he was chosen to be your successor" replied the masked Jonin.

Tsunade began to laugh, which confused both Kakashi and Shizune, "Come on Kakashi seriously, who's the Hokage" she said while continually laughing.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, it was clear that Tsunade had thought that he was playing a practical joke on her, "I'm not lying to you Tsunade, and it really is Naruto. He is the Rokudaime Hokage" he said in a stern and absolute tone.

Tsunade's laughter quickly died down, and her complexion quickly paled, she had known that Naruto would one day be Hokage but she did not expect it to be this early, she looked at Kakashi eagerly with a straight face, "You're not lying are you?" she asked.

Kakashi shook his head as did Shizune, "Were not lying to you Tsunade-sama, Naruto really was made your successor" Shizune said.

"Oh Kami, I think I need a drink" she said in desperation.

Kakashi gave the old Sannin his classic eye smile, "Lucky for you Tsunade-sama we still have your sake bottles here underneath the desk" he said as he began to pull out a large sake bottle and a few cups.

Shizune looked on in disapproval, but she couldn't really do anything about it, "Look neither of you are not going to make a habit out of this, I am only going to make this one time an exception because you just returned from your coma" she scolded.

"Calm down Shizune, don't worry we could handle ourselves" replied Kakashi.

Shizune rolled her eyes but nodded anyway, then she grabbed the sake bottles and poured some on the cups on the table, she made sure not to put too much in order to moderate the two of them.

Tsunade quickly grabbed her cup and chugged her drink, after the strong tingling sensation she felt in her palate from the alcohol she consumed, she stared at Kakashi with a demanding expression.

"Kakashi you are going to tell me what the hell happened while I was in a coma, and you are going to tell me what Naruto has done so far" she ordered as Kakashi nodded in understanding.

"Of course Tsunade-sama, have a seat first since this may take a while"

Tsunade walked over to the seats in front of the desk and sat comfortably while waiting for Kakashi's explanation.

"Alright Kakashi, now spit it out" she said clearly losing her patience.

Kakashi adopted a thinking pose as he began to recall the events of the past month, "Well it all started when Naruto…"

* * *

 **Summit Venue**

"Achoo"

"Dammit not again" muttered Naruto as he began to rub his nose to cease the sneezing.

"You alright?" asked the Hokage's advisor, Shikamaru.

"Yeah I'm alright don't worry, I might just be getting more popular than I realized" replied the blonde Jinchuuriki.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, he didn't want to have that argument with Naruto again.

But while they continued their journey Shikamaru began to notice Naruto being more silent and reserved than he usually was, the lazy Nara presumed it had something to do with their encounter with Sakura. Seeing Naruto's current emotional state as they were approaching the summit venue, Shikamaru decided that it would be best for him to express his feelings since they may have a negative effect for when they begin the summit. He didn't want Naruto to be in such a state for when the negotiations and the arguments between the Kages began, he needed to be free from any burden or troubling thought in his mind.

Shikamaru cursed the fact that Sakura had to pull this sort of shit on them before they arrived at the summit, actually he cursed that Sakura had the gall to do something like this to Naruto of all people.

Despite how strong and powerful Naruto may have appeared as a ninja and as a Kage, Shikamaru knew better that deep inside he was actually hurting emotionally, having been one of Naruto's only friends since they were in the academy he was more perceptive than most when Naruto tried to put out a brave front on.

Even though Shikamaru was not the best at fixing emotional problems, he had to try as Naruto's friend and advisor, he sighed just thinking about all of this.

'This is going to be troublesome' he thought to himself before abruptly stopping his tracks, both Neji and Naruto looked behind them to see Shikamaru standing in the middle of the road.

"Shikamaru are you okay? Come on man we need to get to the summit" informed Naruto.

"Yeah I'm okay but I think we need to stop here before we go on"

Naruto raised one of his eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about? I don't think we should be late for the summit, I mean this is my first one after all".

"Calm down Naruto, we won't be late for the summit. According to the map were on track to arrive there within an hour, and the summit doesn't begin until three hours from now. We have a lot of time to get there"

Neji used his Byakugan to scout ahead and from what he could see, the summit venue was quite close by and they could arrive easily within an hour, "He's right Naruto, were not that far off and I guess a small rest here won't hurt anybody" he added.

Naruto sighed in defeat, "Very well then, I guess some rest here might do us some good. I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating and boring the summit is going to be for me".

"Yeah I agree, but Naruto I didn't really ask for this small break just to rest up, actually that's just a bonus" Shikamaru explained causing Naruto to glare at Shikamaru suspiciously.

"What are you planning Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru sighed, he should have expected that Naruto would notice that he had an ulterior motive all along, "I think it's best for us to talk about Sakura before we head over to the summit" he admitted in a calm and nonchalant way.

Naruto quickly snapped, "I already told you Shikamaru we are not talking about this. This is my problem to deal with" he yelled in frustration greatly surprising both Neji and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru attempted to calm Naruto down for a moment before explaining his point of view, "Naruto you just showed us that we do need to talk about this. Were about to head over to the summit and you're currently an emotional wreck right now. For the past few days I've noticed that you've been somewhat distant and reserved, I could see that you're keeping all this pain, anger and frustration inside of you. We need to talk about this and resolve this before we enter the summit, I bet even Neji would agree with me" replied the Hokage's advisor.

Naruto looked at Neji expecting him to give his own opinion, Neji didn't necessarily want to get in between the two of them but now it seems he had no choice, sighing in defeat he decided to give his own view on the current situation.

"He's right Naruto, you haven't been yourself. You could hide it well for most people but we know you well enough to see that you're experiencing inner turmoil right now"

Naruto scowled at the two of them, "traitors" he softly mumbled, both Neji and Shikamaru could only sigh because they had heard him loud and clear.

"Naruto I think we need to get this out of the way, you need to release this pent up frustration and anger. This can't be good for you, and this is clearly not going to do you any favours when the summit begins. You need to tell us how you feel, you need to tell us what's wrong" explained Shikamaru.

"Isn't it obvious Shikamaru, I feel betrayed, I feel like a fool, and I feel as if I've wasted my time on her. I feel pain from the fact she would try and manipulate me, I feel inadequate that she would only love Sasuke and not me, and I feel angry because all this shit always happens to me. I've suffered enough throughout my life, the people I love have died and many of them have even betrayed me in one way or another. I forgive and forget all the time only for them to continue hurting me" he confessed as the anger and frustration he held deep inside became more and more evident.

Neji and Shikamaru stood there surprised while Naruto continued to express his hurt and frustration over the years, they wanted to let Naruto let of of his negative emotions but it seems that for too long he held his own sense of resentment towards those who have made his suffer in the past, and they couldn't even blame him. The two couldn't even imagine the type of childhood and life Naruto had to endure for something he had no control over, the two expressed regret that they hadn't tried to help Naruto from an earlier age.

Despite Naruto's display of negative emotions becoming uncomfortable to watch for Neji and Shikamaru, the two realized that this had to be done, he was showing signs of progress.

Naruto's breathing became erratic at the remembrance of his tragic past, he closed his eyes and began to breathe in and out in order to calm himself down. After a few moments he opened his eyes to see Shikamaru and Neji both looking at him sympathetically.

"Did that help Naruto?" asked Shikamaru.

Naruto sighed in defeat, he had to admit that he had been holding all of that in, in fact even he didn't know that a part of him felt this way, for too long he hid his darker emotions deep inside of him but at least now he could express them in a way which did not make others fear him.

"Honestly I think it did, it kind of felt good to release and finally admit all of those".

"That was the purpose of this Naruto, I hope you're alright now and don't worry we won't judge or tell anybody else about this, all of this will remain between the three of us. I'm sorry if I had to be rough on you but I thought it was for the better" Shikamaru admitted honestly.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Don't worry Shikamaru, I won't hold a grudge, you were just looking out for me. To be honest I think I really needed this as well, I guess I should thank you guys for this" he replied.

"You don't need to thank us, it's our job, and even if it wasn't we'd still help you through this as your friends"

Naruto smiled warmly and sincerely at his two bodyguards, "Thanks guy, this really means a lot to me knowing that you guys will always have my back"

"No problem Naruto, you've helped me during my darker times, this is the least I could do for you. What are friends for?" said Neji.

Naruto chuckled, he was truly grateful for his friends. He may not always agree with them but it made him happy to know that no matter what happens he could always count on them.

"We should probably head out soon, this talk has been good though, no matter how quick it had been. But it did the trick, it feels like a large weight has been lifted off my shoulders"

"That's good to know, we need you at your best when the summit happens. I've learned a long time ago that a great and effective leader should not have his emotions get in the way of his decision-making, that's why I thought it was best for you to let go of all these emotions first. You're really starting to show true signs of leadership Naruto, you're not letting your emotions dictate what is best for you and for Konoha"

Naruto was surprised at the high praise from his friend, "Aw shucks now you're making me blush" he said teasingly.

Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes, "And here I thought we were having a serious and mature talk, but you just had to ruin it didn't you" he replied.

Naruto began to chuckle once again, "That's just what I do Shikamaru, I can't stay too serious for too long. That's why I'm Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja" he declared feeling proud of his strange yet fitting moniker.

"I guess you're right Naruto, as troublesome as you may be sometimes, I hope you never change. But I think we've had enough of this, we resolved what we aimed to resolve and now we have a Five Kage Summit to go to"

Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru all nodded at one another, the three grabbed their bags and prepared for the small walk ahead of them, seeing as how they were close to the summit venue, Naruto decided to finally wear the Hokage's Hat.

The Hokage wore his hat proudly, it represented his position and his achievements as the Hokage of Konoha, the symbolic red and white hat adorned Naruto's head with the kanji of fire clearly seen at the front edge.

After the preparations the trio went on to continue on their journey, but unknown to them someone was watching them all along. The individual felt guilt and remorse as he heard Naruto's heart-breaking experiences with betrayal, he realized he was a part of that but Naruto was just not aware of it yet. But despite all that he was going to do everything he can to make up for his mistakes, and with that final thought, Sai vanished hoping to scout the area around the summit venue to prepare for Danzo's attack.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji walked continuously to the summit venue, and even though their nervousness and anxiety were increasing each step they took, they remained confident in their respective roles and abilities. This meeting was vital for all the countries and the three of them have never experienced something like this or something of this magnitude; but after a while they began to see the outline of the summit venue, the three young ninjas were amazed at the design and the location of the summit venue.

After admiring the breath-taking landscape before them, Naruto glanced towards his two bodyguards, "You guys ready for this?" he asked.

Both Shikamaru and Neji smirked confidently and nodded, Naruto smiled back at the two with a healthy balance of excitement and nervousness; "Well then I guess it's showtime" he said.

The three of walked to the summit venue with a newfound confidence and a swagger in their step. The trio from Konoha continued to walk towards the entrance of the summit venue until they someone call out to them.

"Halt, who goes there?" asked one of the approaching samurai, Naruto examined the man and deduced that he was among the security for the summit.

Naruto gave the group of samurai a foxy grin while pointing at his hat, the samurai looked on surprised but his expression was hidden by the masks of their uniform.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, it's just that we didn't notice it was you approaching" the samurai said nervously, internally hoping he didn't do anything to annoy one of the Kages.

Naruto shook his head, "No need to apologize, you were just doing your job. So has everyone else arrived or am I the first?" he asked.

The masked samurai breathed out a sigh of relief, "Arigato Hokage-sama. You are actually the last to arrive here in the summit, but the four other Kages just arrived earlier today" he answered.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "That's good, didn't want to make a bad first impression with the other Kages" he said with his confident and classic smile adorning his face.

"Would you like for us to escort you to the meeting room Hokage-sama? Seeing as how it's your first time here"

"Thanks that would be great"

The samurai nodded and the group directed Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji to the top floor of the summit venue, as the three Konoha ninjas walked around the summit venue they were in awe of the interior designing of the area.

After climbing up the various stairs within the large building, the group arrived in front of the gates for the summit venue, before entering the samurai all bowed at Naruto before returning to their posts. Naruto guessed that this was their stop, he breathed in and out to calm himself down, and this was his first time meeting with the other Kages aside from Gaara. He could only imagine how the Raikage, Tsuchikage and Mizukage would look and act, this was the gathering of the strongest and most powerful ninjas in the world and now Naruto was a part of that selective group.

Once he was ready Naruto opened the door and walked in the room with Shikamaru at his right side, and Neji at his left. Upon entering Naruto noticed that all eyes were on him, from first glance he could see a mixture of reactions from each of the Kages and their bodyguards, the most common reaction seemed to be shock.

The Tsuchikage's eyes were widened as he saw Naruto's entrance, it was as if the man saw a ghost from the past. The similarities from the appearance up until the attire were simply unmistakable, the old man rubbed his eyes and blinked to see if his old age was simply deceiving him. But it appeared to be accurate, Onoki glared at the young Hokage hoping to further examine if whether or not he was related somehow to Iwagakure's greatest enemy, the Yondaime Hokage.

The Raikage was also surprised but not nearly as much as the Tsuchikage, it was likely because of the prior knowledge from the team he sent to Konoha. But he did sense a familiarity when he saw the Hokage arrive, it reminded him of one of his rivals in the past, he shook his head realizing that it was impossible seeing as how it was known that Minato never had a child. For all he knew it was simply coincidental.

The Mizukage was on the other hand seemingly unaffected, but Naruto noticed that the woman licked her lips suggestively. Gaara on the other hand didn't seem surprised at all, instead he looked on proudly as a friend upon seeing Naruto's arrival as the Hokage of Konoha, both he and Naruto kept their promises to each other to become the Kages of their respective homes and villages.

Seeing as how everyone was still slightly pre-occupied with his sudden arrival, Naruto quickly studied the area and the people participating in the meeting.

The first thing Naruto noticed was the layout of the room, there was a U-shaped table in the meeting room and the table was separated into five parts, and behind each part was a banner with the Kanji of a respective element probably to designate where each Kage will sit.

The table had the banner for fire in the middle, this was where Naruto was to sit seeing as how he was the Hokage and the leader of the Land of Fire. To the left of that would be the banner for earth, and with that the Tsuchikage's seat. Then beside the Tsuchikage, further left of the Hokage was the Raikage.

On the right side of Naruto's seat sat Konoha's allies and the man representing the Land of Wind, the Kazekage. Then finally beside the Kazekage's seat was the seat for the Mizukage, the leader of the Land of Water. But there was one final table in front of the U-shaped table for the Kages, this one unlike the other was a much smaller table and was apparently for the mediator of the summit and the leader of the samurai of the Land of Iron.

Then Naruto observed the other participants in the room, he first noticed Gaara and his two siblings Kankuro and Temari. Seeing as how both groups were friends they nodded to each other in acknowledgement, and despite Gaara's rather stoic and serious personality, even Naruto could see a sly grin on his fellow Kage's face. While the two Kages and friends greeted one another, Shikamaru and Temari also nodded at each as a form of acknowledgement, and even Shikamaru could see a teasing grin forming on Temari's face.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at annoyance, 'Women, how troublesome' he thought to himself.

After the quick and subtle greeting between both groups Naruto began to walk over to his seat while studying his contemporaries. At first glance they were all a strange looking bunch to say the least, the Tsuchikage appeared to be a short grumpy old man while the Raikage appeared to be a large muscular man. But as Naruto's eyes glanced towards the Mizukage he instantly blushed at the sight of the slender yet beautiful auburn-haired woman. Naruto quickly tried to break eye contact in order to hide his flushed face, unknown to him the Mizukage caught his lingering eyes and smirked.

'Looks like I still got it' she thought to herself with a grin.

Naruto didn't have enough time to study the bodyguards but as he sat down on his seat he finally managed to get a good luck mediator of the summit, it was an elderly old man who wore a classic samurai outfit. Neji and Shikamaru also walked behind Naruto and stood behind him patiently waiting for the summit meeting to finally begin.

Mifune looked around the room and decided it was time to begin, "Thank you everybody for your presence, I am Mifune and I will be the mediator of this summit. As all of you know this meeting has been called upon by the Raikage, and while you are all at this meeting there will be no violence whatsoever within the borders of the Land of Iron. Are we all clear on that?"

Each of the five Kages nodded and Mifune was pleased with how things were going so far, "Good before we begin could you all please place your hats on the table" he ordered as each Kage did as they were told. The five symbolic hats were now placed on their table.

"Excellent, now I think it would be best for us to begin our introductions first seeing as how we seem to have newcomers as Kages" he said obviously pointing towards Naruto, Gaara and Mei.

The introductions began with the Raikage, "I am A, the Yondaime Raikage of Kumogakure no Sato" he exclaimed loudly and proudly.

The Tsuchikage scowled at the volume of the Raikage's voice, but before he could complain he suddenly noticed that he was next in the introductions, "I am Onoki of Both Scales and I am the Sandaime Tsuchikage of Iwagakure no Sato" he proclaimed just as proud as A had previously.

Naruto cleared his throat since he was next, he noticed that the elderly man beside him continued to glare and study his features, Naruto had a sneaking suspicion it was due to his resemblance to his father. But not wanting to divulge that information yet he ignored it for now, "I am Naruto Uzumaki and I am the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no sato" he said.

Naruto then looked at his old friend Gaara expecting his introduction, "I am Gaara no Subaku, the Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure" said the former Ichibi Jinchuuriki.

The four then directed their attention to the final Kage, "I am Mei Terumi and I am the Godaime Mizukage of Kirigakure" she declared just as proud as the others did.

Mifune nodded, "Excellent now we were all called here to…" before the samurai mediator could continue there was an interruption coming from the Raikage.

"Before we begin, I would actually want to know how there has been a Rokudaime Hokage in Konoha already, all of us already know of how the new Kazekage and Mizukage came to be but we were all expecting Tsunade-sama to be the Hokage for this meeting" A interjected.

"I think most of us will all agree that we are surprised to see you rather than Tsunade representing Konoha as the Hokage" Onoki added with a small hint of malice which nobody seemed to notice.

Naruto noticed that everyone looked at him in anticipation, he couldn't help but sigh since he didn't want to reveal such information so early during the meeting.

"Very well then, if that's what you all want. I'm going to keep the details straight to the point, I would personally rather focus on the current situations at hand. The reason I was chosen as Tsunade-sama's successor was because of an attack by the Akatsuki on Konoha, the attack left massive damage on my village by a man known as Pein, and that man held the Rinnegan" Naruto explained calmly as one by one the ninjas around the room gasped in shock.

The Rinnegan was a power thought to be a myth, at least until now. It was known to have only been wielded by one man throughout the course of time, and that one man was the legendary Sage of the Six Paths. The other Kages continued to direct their attention towards the Hokage, they were all anticipating the continuation of his story.

"The man known as Pein attacked Konoha and my predecessor had no other choice but to use up all her chakra to save the people of Konoha. In her stead I fought Pein and defeated him"

The ninjas looked at Naruto with wide eyes, they couldn't believe what he had just said, a man as young as him defeating a Rinnegan wielder. While the Mizukage, Tsuchikage and Raikage continued to look at him in shock, Gaara deduced that Naruto may have used the Kyuubi's power to defeat such a man.

"Are you sure that this Pein you speak of actually held the Rinnegan? Surely he won't be defeated that easily?" asked the Mizukage.

Naruto nodded confirming her statements, "Yes I am certain it was the Rinnegan, the eyes matched the description, and I never said that my battle was easy. In fact it was anything but easy, it truly took... everything inside of me to defeat him" he said as Gaara's eyes widened fractionally. The Kazekage's suspicions were proven to be correct.

Mei smirked at the young Hokage and winked at him suggestively, Naruto serious demeanour was quickly deteriorating, he continued to try and keep a straight face but it was to no avail as blush suddenly adorned his cheeks. Behind him both his bodyguards shook their heads, despite how pure and dense Naruto may seem to be, deep down inside they knew he had a little perverted side, it was inevitable for it to happen to him seeing as how his main influences throughout his life has been major perverts, aside from Jiraiya there has been Kakashi, the Sandaime Hokage and their academy sensei Iruka.

The Raikage also noticed this but paid no mind to it, 'Stupid Kids' he thought to himself.

"If you truly defeated this Akatsuki member, then you won't mind if we learn how you did it. Please indulge us as to how a kid like you could beat someone like that" Onoki said arrogantly.

Naruto's teeth began to grit at the cheeky and sly insult from the Tsuchikage, "Well old man" Naruto said emphasizing the word old, "A quick word of advice would be not to judge a book by its cover. That is the first rule of being a ninja after all" he replied with a smug and shit-eating grin.

Onoki stared at Naruto in annoyance but before he could reply he heard a small laugh coming from behind him, he checked only to be left in disbelief as he saw his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi laughing at him.

"He sure got you gramps" she said in between chuckles.

Before any of the Kages could continue Mifune grabbed his gavel and banged it on the table, gaining all the attention from the Kages and their respective bodyguards.

"I think we've had enough of this, I believe it's time for us to begin" he said in a serious tone, the five Kages all ceased their petty squabbles and cheap talks as they got back down to business.

Mifune looked around the room and was pleased to see that everyone did in fact settle down, each of them appeared to be finally ready for the meeting.

"Excellent, now who would want to begin?" asked the leader of the samurai.

"I'll go first, so listen up" Gaara blurted out as the room all stared at the Kazekage awaiting for his statement.

Before Gaara could begin his statement Onoki once again interrupted, "The makeup of Kages have changed over the years, and you must be something special to be named as a Kage at your age" he said in a somewhat condescending tone before further continuing, "Your father must have taught you right, but it seems he may have forgotten to teach you manners".

Gaara flinched at the mention of his father but nobody seemed to notice, Onoki's eyes glanced at Naruto for a second, 'Maybe the same thing could apply to that other brat' he thought to himself.

"Tsuchikage I suggest we stop all this nonsense and interruptions, I for one would like to begin the meeting already" Mei said impatiently.

The Tsuchikage huffed in annoyance, "The youth these days and their disrespect" he softly muttered to himself.

Gaara glanced at the Mizukage and nodded as a sign of his appreciation before finally beginning his speech, "I am here as a former host of one of the Bijuu. I nearly died when Akatsuki captured me and extracted the Ichibi from me, Akatsuki is a criminal group consisting of S-Rank ninjas and they are a danger towards our society" he said in a casual and nonchalant manner while gaining the surprised looks of his Kage contemporaries, except for his fellow Jinchuuriki, Naruto.

"I have continually requested from the Kages and lands only to be rejected, the only one to heed my calls for help was the former Godaime Hokage. Though at this point it may seem pointless seeing as how most of the tailed beasts have already been captured by the Akatsuki"

The old Tsuchikage snorted indignantly, "If one country had its host captured it has no right to give other countries orders. It's an embarrassment, you should have tried to recover it secretly. Once it's stolen you can't expect other countries to help you".

"Tch, who the hell cares about all this bullshit about appearance? What kind of stupid old-fashioned mindset is that? All that matters is the safety of our people and nothing else, Jinchuuriki included" interjected the Hokage, Naruto was clearly beginning to feel frustrated by the outdated ideas of the Tsuchikage, and even Gaara had to agree with his friend.

"Hmph you two are just brats. You are both too young to fully understand the intricacies of this world, what were Konoha and Suna thinking having two kids rule as their leaders" said the Tsuchikage causing both Naruto and Gaara to glare at him.

Before the situation escalated the Mizukage decided to intervene and diffuse the situation, "Just because the tailed beasts have been stolen doesn't mean we should panic. It will take years before Akatsuki could learn how to control them" she said out of the blue.

Onoki adopted a thinking pose as he tried to recall his knowledge on the topic, "If I'm not mistaken the hosts must grow with the beast in order for them to both adapt to one another. And even then control is difficult, it will be a long and difficult process I'll tell you that. In fact I have only known or heard of five people who has held the power to control the tailed beasts. Three of them were former Jinchuuriki, Killer Bee the Raikage's brother was one of them, and so was the Yondaime Mizukage Yagura and Yugito Nii of Kumo" he explained.

"But there have been two other people who have managed to control the tailed beasts but none of them were Jinchuuriki. To this day they were two of the most powerful ninjas I have ever seen and they could strike fear in any man's hearts. They were the Shodai Hokage Hashirama Senju and his rival Madara Uchiha. I thank Kami that the Shodai never became like Madara. That man is the only one I have ever feared, my fear for him even dates back to when I was just a young lad learning from my master, the Nidaime Tsuchikage" he said as he remembered his encounters with the legendary Uchiha during the days of his youth, the memories were engrained in his brain and he could remember it vividly as if it were yesterday.

The room fell silent at the Tsuchikage's old story, Naruto tried to hold his anxiety inside as he recalled his father telling him that Madara was behind all of this. If Madara was just as strong and frightening as the Tsuchikage said he was, then things were going to be more complicated then he first expected.

The room's silence was quickly destroyed as the Raikage stood up from his seat and punched the table in front of him, quickly destroying it with his hand engulfed with lightning, "Enough with all this mindless rambling" he yelled with fury and rage.

The four other Kages remained silent and unaffected, not one flinched but all the bodyguards raced in front of their respective Kage as a form of protection. In front of the Tsuchikage both Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi prepared themselves with their respective taijutsu stances.

Meanwhile Darui unsheathed his sword and stood in front of the Raikage while C was prepared to use his genjutsu for anyone to possibly harm his leader. As for the Mizukage's bodyguards, Chojuro kneeled in Mifune's table and had his sword, the Hiramekarei directly pointed at the Raikage and his two bodyguards while Ao stood behind Chojuro but ready to form hand seals for his water based ninjutsu at a moment's notice.

Gaara's siblings also stood in front of him protectively, Temari had her trusty fan unleashed while Kankuro unveiled his own modified version of the Sasori Puppet. Both Neji and Shikamaru were also quick to act despite this being their first time in such a situation, the Hyuga Prodigy jumped in front of Naruto's table with his Byakugan unleashed, Shikamaru on the other hand had both of Asuma's chakra blades ready to protect the Hokage.

Nobody dared move among the bodyguards and Kages, one small infraction could case an international incident among these five nations.

"We are here to talk as civilized individuals, please all of you refrain from such barbaric acts" Mifune scolded calmly, but none of the bodyguards seemed to be affected, they waited for their orders from their respective Kages.

"Stand down Neji, Shikamaru. There's no need for this" said Naruto, both his bodyguards looked at each and nodded before walking behind Naruto to resume their previous positions.

After Naruto's choice to stand down first, one by one the other Kages ordered their bodyguards to follow suit, but before Ao the Mizukage's bodyguard returned he was stopped by the Mizukage herself.

She told him to come closer as she whispered advice for the old war veteran, "Ao do not by any means necessary reveal your Byagkugan. If you haven't noticed one of the Hokage's bodyguards is a Hyuga, we don't want to anger them this quickly with both our countries being in fragile relationships at the moment. Are we clear on that?"

Ao nodded before walking back to join Chojuro, clearly he agreed with Mei, possibly showing his Byakugan to the Hokage and his Hyuga bodyguard could possibly be detrimental towards their standing with one another. And now is possibly the worst time for either Konoha or Kiri to be at war seeing as how both villages are recovering.

Once all the bodyguards returned the meeting commenced once more, during that whole time the Raikage remained standing up without being intimidated by the bodyguards of the other Kages.

"Konoha! Kiri! Iwa! Suna! Akatsuki is made up of your missing-nin, and that's not all; I know for a fact that there are some of you, including your former Kages who have used Akatsuki for their benefit" he declared as both Naruto and Gaara's eyes widened.

'What the hell does he mean? Who would use Akatsuki?' Naruto frantically thought.

A remained stoic and intimidating as he stood in front of his peers, "I don't trust any of you, but I was forced to call all of you here to determine where all your loyalties lie!"

"What are you talking about? Using Akatsuki? Who would do that?" Gaara asked in a confused tone.

A laughed mirthlessly before pointing at Gaara accusingly, "You should know Kazekage. Go ask your elders, you have used the Akatsuki to help win you wars in the past" he cited loudly.

"This is why both of you are too young for this job" said the old Tsuchikage, "Right now all our countries are enjoying a time of peace and prosperity. We are evolving from a military movement into a disarmament, and as the tensions decrease the possibility of war grows significantly slimmer. But unfortunately militaries and armies drain a country's resources rather quickly, but if a war were to break out said villages cannot rely on unproven and untested ninjas to fight for them during battle. Losing the war will be inevitable".

Naruto's eyes widened and before Onoki could finish he looked at the two oldest Kages in disbelief, "So to counter that you had to use a mercenary or military force for hire. You used the Akatsuki" he said as Onoki nodded with a smirk.

"Correct you are young Hokage, it was too costly and time consuming for a village to produce their own military force. But the Akatsuki were powerful and one of them could account for an army already, not to mention the fact that they go on as pairs. Plus they were always relatively cheap to use and they were always accessible. As for the results, let's just say they never disappointed"

"Enough with this Tsuchikage" yelled A as he began to grow impatient and flustered with the direction of the meeting, "I don't want to hear about any more of this. We all know Suna used Orochimaru to attack Konoha, but we are unsure if Orochimaru was still a member of Akatsuki at the time. But unfortunately because of that attack the Yondaime Kazekage and the Sandaime Hokage died as a result" said the Raikage causing both Naruto and Gaara to flinch at the mention of both former Kages.

For Gaara the memories of his father were still nightmares for him, and the guilt of having a major role in the invasion of Konoha ate away at him, especially seeing as how Konoha always came to his aid as the Kazekage.

Naruto was also feeling gloomy at the mention of the Sandaime Hokage, that man played major role in his life as his first friend and his grandfather figure. Naruto knew the old man died happy because he protected Konoha one last time as its Hokage. But Naruto still wished that the man he dubbed as "Jiji" was alive to at least witness his ascension as the Hokage of Konoha.

Both young Kages were broken off their reverie once A continued his speech, "Kirigakure for me is the most suspicious. It is a known fact that you have no diplomatic relationships with any of the other countries, and rumours even say that Akatsuki were formed there".

Mei sighed at the accusations of the Raikage, as much as he wanted to refute and counter them, the accusations were all unwarranted. Thankfully though Kiri was reforming themselves after the rebellion was finally over, now that Mei led her homeland as the Mizukage she wanted nothing else but to change the old ways of the Bloody Mist Village and revert it back to simply the Mist Village.

"Truthfully, we have suspicions concerning my predecessor, Yagura. We have reason to believe that Yagura may have been controlled by someone else, someone operating from the darkness. It's possible that Akatsuki may have something to do with this" said the Mizukage gaining shocked looks by her fellow Kages.

Naruto appeared most affected by that statement, it matched with his father's suspicions concerning Madara and he could now understand why the man was so dangerous.

"I think I may know who controlled your former Mizukage" Naruto blurted, the four other Kages all turned to Naruto as they waited for his explanation.

"Well then, tell us" demanded the Raikage.

Naruto sighed as he began to recall his brief conversation with his father, "I cannot tell you my sources but you all have to trust me on this. I have reason to believe that the one responsible for this was Madara Uchiha" Naruto confessed, he looked at each of his fellow Kages and he could see they all appeared to be in disbelief.

"Impossible, he was killed a longtime ago by the Shodai Hokage" A yelled incredulously.

"Actually Raikage, for some reason I believe him. I've faced Madara Uchiha and nothing seems impossible for him, the man was crafty and sly, I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to trick his way out of death. And I wouldn't be surprised if he learned the secrets of immortality, Madara was just that powerful, Madara was a monster" Onoki said with a sense of fear in his voice.

The room fell deathly silent and the morale of each of the Kages faltered, just the simple mention of Madara devastated the hopes of everyone in the room. Naruto sensed all the negative emotions and low morale around the room, he decided he needed to act now if they would stand a chance of battling Madara and the Akatsuki.

The young Hokage quickly stood up from his seat, he looked across the room and grinned once he saw that he now had everybody's attention, it was now or never.

"I know the odds may seem great with Madara and Akatsuki as our opponents, but we are Kages for a reason and we lead the great hidden villages for a reason. We are the most powerful ninjas across the land and we have control of multiple armies. Akatsuki should be the ones fearing us, it should not be the other way around. This is why I propose an alliance, we need to make a Five Nation Alliance to combat and exterminate this Akatsuki threat once and for all" he said in his usual charismatic and energetic way. This little speech he made quickly brightened the moods of the other Kages, they realized that they were in fact a collection of the strongest powers in the world. If they all joined alongside one another there was nothing that could possibly stop them, not even Akatsuki.

Mifune grinned as he watched Naruto take the meeting over, 'I was going to suggest the same thing. But it seems you beat me to it. You're an interesting person Naruto Uzumaki, I wish to see how your destiny turns out' he thought to himself.

"An Alliance!?" said the Raikage, A was contemplating the pros and cons of such as action and he had to agree with the Hokage's idea, "I am all for this" he exclaimed.

"The chain of command for this alliance should be uniform" added Naruto as all the other Kages nodded in agreement.

Behind Naruto and Gaara, their bodyguards were intrigued with the current decisions of the Kages, both Temari and Kankuro were surprised by Naruto's suggestion and his ability to lead.

'It looks like the brat grew up, now only if that damn lazy bastard could do the same' Temari thought to herself.

'Naruto has really changed since we last saw each other' Kankuro said to himself.

Shikamaru and Neji both had grins on their face as they witnessed what Naruto did best, and that was to bring people together. The young Hokage had an uncanny ability to inspire people and he doesn't seem to disappoint.

Back with the Kages, each of them thought of the possible ways to form this alliance, "Who should lead this alliance?" asked Onoki.

Mifune adopted a thinking pose as he pondered on a way in which a leader could be chosen among the five of them, "I believe I may have a solution to choose a leader" he declared as everybody awaited for his answer.

"You five will only fight for the right to lead this alliance, as the neutral party I will decide who is best fit to lead this alliance. I hope you respect my position as the neutral party in all of this"

The Five Kages all nodded in agreement, this was the best, most unbiased and efficient way in order to find out who was best for the job.

"This may take me some time so I suggest for all of you to patiently wait here while I assess the situation. I will head over to a private room and there I will begin to evaluate the pros and cons of each of your cases" Mifune explained.

All five Kages once again agreed, it was now time to play the waiting game as they watched Mifune leave the room with his two samurai bodyguards.

Naruto sighed and shook his head once the neutral party was gone, 'This is going to be one long wait' he said to himself.

* * *

 **Outside the Summit Venue**

The Akatsuki all stood atop the roof of the summit venue, the group of missing-nin prepared for their upcoming battles with the world's most powerful ninjas. Each of them wore the black Akatsuki robe with the red clouds, it was for them to be recognized as Akatsuki. It was time for the world to know the true extent of their power.

The group of eight ninjas consisted of Sasuke Uchiha, Jugo, Suigetsu Hozuki, Kisame Hoshigaki, Zetsu, Kabuto Yakushi, Karin Uzumaki, and their leader Madara Uchiha.

Madara walked in front of the small group and examined his band of criminals and outlaws, "Are you all ready? There's no more turning back" he warned.

Nobody seemed unaffected by the warnings of the legendary Uchiha, Madara grinned underneath his mask. The silence of the group showed him that they were ready for anything.

"Well then what are we waiting for? These Five Kages will now learn the true power of the Akatsuki" Madara proudly declared as Kisame, "It's time for Operation Red Moon to commence".

* * *

 **With Sai**

The latest member of Team Seven was running towards the summit venue as fast as he can, for the past few hours he had been scouting the perimeter around the summit venue to gain further information towards Danzo and his ROOT army.

But once he found them Sai realized that he needed to hastily inform Naruto about the approaching army, it wasn't necessarily the largest army in the world but it was more of a case of quality over quantity. The hundreds of ROOT soldiers Danzo brought with him were more or less ANBU level ninjas, Naruto and the other Kages would need prior knowledge of this in order to avoid a surprise attack from the cunning old warhawk.

While Sai ran for his life he began to clench his fist in anger, emotions were scarce with Sai but for the past month he had felt nothing but guilt, anger, remorse and sadness. He never wanted to feel anything like this, he was angry at Danzo for forcing him to betray his friend, he felt guilt in his role in spying on Naruto, he felt remorse for his betrayal, and he felt sadness at how it all came to this.

'I've failed Shin before, but I will not fail you Naruto. I swear on my life I will be the one saving you this time. I will not let you die' were the words in Sai's mind as he continued to pick up the pace, his legs were beginning to be a burning sensation but he pushed through. Right now Sai was a man on a mission, a mission for redemption. The speeds Sai ran with were on par with Lee's, the only problem was that Sai was not accustomed to such speeds and so it was taking quite a toll on his body.

As he continued to run full speed towards the summit area he could also feel the ground shake and could hear a marching sound. Not that far behind him was Danzo and his army, they too were now heading towards the summit venue.

But as the summit venue continued to appear closer and closer for Sai, he was beginning to be fearful because he noticed a strange black smoke coming out of the building. The smoke continued to grow thicker and thicker, but it only seemed to erupt from the eastern most side of the building, while the Kages were in the western most side of the summit venue.

Sai began to push his body further to its limits, from his days in ROOT and as a ninja it was common sense that a large amount of black smoke erupting from a building was never good. Sai had a sneaking suspicion that Danzo may not be the only threat right now for the Five Kages.

* * *

 **Meeting Room**

The Five Kages remained patiently waiting for the major decision of Mifune, it was a decision which could alter the course of the world as they knew it. They needed to learn who the best possible leader was among them, and it was to lead all five great ninja nations, it was a heavy task, responsibility and even a burden to carry.

After a full hour of waiting the doors of the meeting room opened and the five began to straighten up from their seats, they saw Mifune approaching them with a calm and collected look and each of the Five Kages waited in anticipation for his answer.

Mifune walked over to the front of his back as he stood directly in front of the Five Kages, he cleared his throat before beginning to unveil his decision.

"It took me a long time to make a difficult decision and finally make up my mind, being a leader of a group or alliance of this stature requires various traits and qualities, and quite frankly I only found that in one person in the room. I will have you know each of you had legitimate cases to be the leader and I took all those cases into account, but in the end only one name among all of you stood out. The person I chose to lead the Five Nation Alliance is…." But before Mifune could reveal his final decision a high pitched male voice called out to all of them in an annoying fashion.

"HELLOOOOOO" yelled Zetsu as he rose up from the ground of the meeting room, he was in the middle of the U-shaped table where the Five Kages sat and within a blink of an eye all the bodyguards appeared in front of their Kages once more.

"Dammit what the hell is it this time" A yelled in frustration.

"It's the Akatsuki, from our knowledge this is Zetsu" said Naruto as he glared at the expert spy of the Akatsuki.

"Tch so it seems" Onoki mumbled in annoyance, this intrusion by Akatsuki couldn't come at a worse time.

"This isn't good, I must check on my troops" Mifune said as he ran out of the room with his squad of samurai, their katanas were all unsheathed and they were all prepared to face those missing-nin themselves.

Seeing Mifune leave the room in a hurry, Zetsu stared at Naruto with a grin on his face, "Oh good you remember me Naruto, but I didn't come here for you. In fact Sasuke Uchiha told me to give you his regards, in fact he's here somewhere but the question is where" Zetsu stated cheekily.

"WHAT!" A yelled angrily, "That damn Uchiha is here, he is going to regret the day he ever messed with me".

The Raikage engulfed himself in his lighting armour and vanished in search of the Uchiha, as he ran in high speeds he could sense three distinctly powerful chakra sources among the area, one was in the northern area, another was in the eastern area, and the final one was in the south seeing as how the meeting room was located in the western area.

Sensing the most powerful to be towards the northern end of the summit venue, the Yondaime Raikage decided to take a risk and see if that source of chakra was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

Darui and C shook their heads as they watched A run through the walls of the summit venue with his lightning armour, the two looked at each other and sighed before headed out in search of their Raikage.

'Damn him and his **Raiton Chakura Mōdo** , the speed is unbelievable. How does he expect or us to guard him when he could just outrun us all the time' Darui thought in annoyance.

Back in the meeting room, Naruto was clenching his fist in anger at the utterance of Sasuke's name, 'Dammit you idiot, why would you join Akatsuki? Do you have a suicide wish attacking the Five Kages?' he internally asked himself. Naruto had been expecting to face Sasuke soon seeing as how it was inevitable for them, but he had not expected them to meet so quickly, and he would have never expected for Akatsuki to be so bold as to attack five of the strongest ninjas in the world all gathered in one location.

Meanwhile the Sand siblings appeared to be confused, "Sasuke!?" Gaara said in disbelief.

"What the hell is he doing in AkatsukI?" asked the puppet user as the three siblings looked at Naruto expecting answers from him.

Seeing as how his friends were intently staring at him Naruto sighed in defeat, "I didn't tell you guys this but when I was invited to the summit meeting the group of ninjas the Raikage also asked me for information about Sasuke. They told me he was a new member of Akatsuki and he was responsible for the capture of the Hachibi" explained Naruto.

"I see, this is most unfortunate Naruto" said Gaara.

Naruto nodded, "I know but if anyone's dealing with Sasuke it'll be me. I'm not going to let the Raikage steal my fight with the teme" he said in a determined manner.

"It seems you have history with this Sasuke Uchiha?" asked the Mizukage as the Tsuchikage's ears perked, both Kages were clearly interested with the Hokage's relationship with the Akatsuki member.

"Just who is this Sasuke Uchiha?" Kurotsuchi began to ask.

"He's the last Uchiha and it appears he's now also a member of Akatsuki" Onoki informed his granddaughter.

"Isn't he the one who killed Zabuza and Haku?" asked Ao.

Naruto shook his head as he made a trip down memory lane, "No he wasn't the one who killed Zabuza or Haku, it was our sensei Kakashi" he answered.

Mei's eyes widened, "I see so it seems the two of you were teammates a long time ago" she said.

"Former teammates yes, but he was once also my best friend. I will personally handle him myself"

Mei and Onoki both nodded, "Very well I suggest you head over and face him before the Raikage finds him. Knowing that muscled up idiot he'd just charge in and destroy anything that comes within range" advised Onoki.

"But if you can please try and bring him back alive. We might get information out of him" said the auburn haired Mizukage.

"I don't think we could do that, the members of Akatsuki are hardcore and not one of them will give out any information which may harm the organization and its goals" replied Gaara, Mei nodded reluctantly but in understanding.

Naruto stared at his two bodyguards, "You guys come with me. It's time for us to have a little reunion with the bastard".

Neji and Shikamaru both nodded, the three Konoha ninjas began to walk outside of the room in search of their former comrade, but before they could leave the room Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked back only to find Gaara with a determined look on his face, "Were going with you Naruto" he said in a tone which meant he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Seeing no other way of getting out of this Naruto agreed, "Okay then Gaara but remember I fight Sasuke alone. Nobody will interfere" reminded the Hokage.

"Very well, I'm sure we're all looking forward to see how much you've grown since the last time we saw each other"

Naruto sported a foxy grin, "Well then prepare to be amazed Gaara. The teme won't know what hit him" he declared confidently.

The two Kages and their bodyguards headed out of the room, as they left Naruto was concentrating on the chakra signatures around the area and one chakra source felt familiar to Naruto even though it was surrounded by three other major chakra signatures. It was a chakra source Naruto knew since he was a young academy student, it was Sasuke's chakra.

Naruto noticed that the Raikage's chakra was in another location, this was good for him and now he could finally have his rematch with Sasuke, and so Naruto and his group headed out towards the eastern area of the summit venue in search of Sasuke.

* * *

 **With Mei and Onoki**

The two Kages noticed that the groups from Kumo, Konoha and Suna all left and they were the only ones remaining in the room. But they also noticed that Zetsu was still in the room simply watching them with an arrogant grin in his face. He didn't appear to be scared or intimidated at the two of them, "I hope all of you are prepared to die" he said in an overly confident tone which greatly annoyed both the Tsuchikage and the Mizukage.

Seeing and hearing this Mei stood up from her seat and stared directly at the lone Akatsuki member, "Funny that was supposed to be my line" she responded.

"Are you sure about this Mizukage-sama? We could help you" said Ao.

Mei shook her head, "No thanks Ao, I'm certain I could handle him myself and besides it's been a while since I've had a proper battle" she said.

"Very well Mizukage-sama"

Noticing that they weren't alone in the room Mei looked over at Onoki "Tsuchikage I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I take this Akatsuki member on myself?"

"He's all yours, but I could sense another chakra signature in the southern area of the building, I think I may head over there and deal with that threat myself"

Mei nodded, "I think that would be best. Let's all show these Akatsuki members the reason why were Kages" she said with a smirk on her face.

Onoki chuckled before also exiting the room with Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi right behind him.

Once the old Tsuchikage left, Mei stared at Zetsu and began to quickly weave through hand signs.

" **Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu"** she yelled as acidic lava flew towards the spy of the Akatsuki.

Zetsu's grin began to vanish as he saw the lava approaching him, seeing that he had no time to properly dodge he submerged himself in the ground to avoid the attack. Once he felt the lava pass through above him, Zetsu stood up once more only to see Mei sporting a cocky grin on her face.

* * *

 **With A**

The Raikage arrived in a large lounge, this was where he sensed the powerful chakra signatures and up ahead he noticed samurai all circling one man. A rushed to the battle but as he approached it became obvious to him that the man wasn't Sasuke, instead it was the infamous Tailless Tailed Beast, Kisame Hoshigaki.

Kisame noticed the newest arrival, his excitement levels instantly exploded at the sight of the Raikage, he swung his sword at the surrounding samurai effectively decapitating three of them in one swing. The samurai all began to step back as they realized that Kisame alone had enough power to kill them all without even exerting any true effort.

But as the Raikage approached, the samurai decided that if anyone could stand a chance against that monster it would be the Raikage.

"Finally a challenge, I've gotten bored with these samurai"

A scowled and increased the amount of lighting surrounding him to intimidate the shark, but it was to no avail seeing as how Kisame countered his KI with his own.

A began to size him up, "You're not the Uchiha but I guess you'll do" he said before lunging towards the Akatsuki member with his signature clothesline.

* * *

 **With Onoki**

The Tsuchikage arrived in the southern area of the building and there he saw puddles of blood with dead bodies littered on the floor. On one of the bodies sat a hooded man, Onoki approached closer and he could hear the mysterious figure begin to laugh maniacally.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi were creeped out by the display in front of them, but Onoki had seen it all, he was barely affected by the display in front of him.

"Welcome Tsuchikage-sama, I've been waiting to fight one of the Kages but truthfully I didn't expect to see you"

"Well now that I'm here I'll show you why you and your groups are bunch of idiots to attack me and the rest of the Kages. Honestly I always pegged you all for being smart individuals, but it seems even I'm prone to mistakes in my old age"

"You have it all wrong Tsuchikage-sama, it was a mistake for you to head over here" he said before pulling down his hood, the three Iwa ninjas recoiled back in shock. The man in front of them was an abomination, they had not seen something like that before.

"Get ready to die" yelled Kabuto as he ran towards the Tsuchikage with full speed with his **'Chakura no Mesu'** at hand, with the power of his Senjutsu, Kabuto's speed was heightened exponentially. He reached the front of Onoki within a matter of a second and plunged his small chakra blade into the Tsuchikage's gut.

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in fear, "Gramps" she yelled worriedly.

Kabuto grinned with his hand still piercing the old Kage's stomach, but once he saw Onoki he noticed that the man had a grin on his face. Kabuto was surprised to see the body break apart into a bunch of rocks.

'Dammit this is an **'Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu'** , I just got tricked' Kabuto frantically thought. He then heard a small noise behind him, he quickly glanced that way only to see Onoki with a giant rock covering his right fist.

Before Kabuto could react he was punched through the gut and he was sent flying past the walls and pillars of the area.

"You're way too young to challenge me kid. How to do like my **Doton: Kengan no Jutsu**? It packs quite a punch doesn't it?"

"Gramps you're alright" Kurotsuchi yelled in relief.

"Of course I'm alright, I won't be beaten that easily"

Kabuto stood up from the punch groggily and wiped the blood away from the corners of his mouth, although the attack was powerful thankfully for his Senjutsu he managed to substantially reduce the pain he felt from the attack.

'I better not underestimate him again. I'll be careful this time' thought Kabuto.

Onoki noticed that Kabuto stood up from his attack, he was impressed it was rare for someone to withstand the power and brute force from his hit. This seemed to be more of a challenge than he initially thought.

"Get ready old man, I won't hold back anymore. I'll show you the powers of a dragon" yelled Kabuto.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Naruto was leading the group consisting of Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Neji and Shikamaru. They were relying on Naruto's sensory powers as he led them to Sasuke. After a few hallways they arrived in a courtyard, the sounds of clashing steel could be heard from afar and they realized that Sasuke and the samurai were in battle.

The large group quickened their pace and they finally saw Sasuke with three of this fellow Akatsuki members surrounded by samurai, but around them were the dead bodies of the samurai.

Naruto's eyes widened in anger as he saw the loss of innocent lives, those men probably had families and they were only doing their job, and now they were murdered in cold blood by the hands of Sasuke and Akatsuki. Naruto remembered that he would give Sasuke one final chance at redemption, and he was still going to offer it to him. But if he were to accept it he would still have to answer for his crimes, Naruto was not going to give him the easy road. If he was serious for forgiveness, he would have to earn it, especially after all the death and devastation he caused.

The young Hokage's chakra began to flare wildly as the floor shook, the battle between Team Taka and the samurai ceased as they directed their attention to the source of the chakra.

Sasuke looked closer only to see Naruto steadily walking in front of them, he smirked at the sight of his former best friend and teammate. He finally has the chance to settle the score.

Naruto looked at the surrounding samurai, "Leave us, I will deal with him myself" he ordered in an authoritative tone, the samurai all nodded in fear and ran. Naruto's chakra levels were through the roof and it intimidated almost everybody around them.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other with neither blinking, both had a cold glare directed at each other, though Sasuke remained unimpressed with Naruto's flaring chakra. It has been quite some time since they last met and neither could know how either of them changed, they have to be prepared for anything.

Behind Naruto, the Sand Siblings and his two bodyguards watched intriguingly at the reunion between former friends and brothers. Kankuro and Temari couldn't believe the chakra levels from Naruto and they couldn't believe how Sasuke turned out. It seems too many things changed within a small window of time.

Gaara just remained stoic and patient, he was eager to see how powerful Naruto and Sasuke have become, and although he promised for Naruto to solely take on Sasuke 'mano a mano' if things got out of hand and Naruto's life was to be in danger, Gaara would have no regret in stepping in.

Neji and Shikamaru stood calmly, both were anticipating the fight between two former friends. But both also noticed Sasuke's comrades in Akatsuki, seeing as how only Naruto was going to fight Sasuke, the two decided to take on the three ninjas alongside Sasuke.

Team Taka watched from behind in amazement, they now finally had a face to the name. Naruto Uzumaki was a name they heard regularly and constantly, and now it seemed the two lifelong rivals stood in front of each other, unmoving and uncaring. But one thing was sure for the three of them, do not interfere in Naruto and Sasuke's battle.

The two former friends, rivals, teammates and comrades were now enemies, this is now a battle between brothers.

"Dobe"

"Teme"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Shunshin no Jutsu - Body Flicker Technique

Raiton Chakura Mōdo - Lightning Release Chakra Mode

Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu - Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique

Chakura no Mesu - Chakra Scalpel

Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu - Rock Clone Technique

Doton: Kengan no Jutsu - Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique

 **Author's Notice**

Thanks everybody for the support, sorry for ending it in a bit of a cliffhanger. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, but the badass stuff officially begin in the next chapter. Though i will not lie, i'm not too confident with my writing when it comes to battles but i will do my best to make it the best i can. As usual please follow or favorite the story, and if any of you have any constructive criticism or questions about the story do not hesitate to comment or pm me, any one of those would be much appreciated.

PS. Don't forget to vote for your choice on my future stories, for those who don't know i placed a poll in my profile with backgrounds for possible stories i plan on writing alongside this one. I don't want to just solely focus on this since every now and then i want to mix things up. Please vote!


	6. A Fox in the Snake Pit

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...though I wish I did**

 **Author's Note: Hey everybody sorry if this chapter took so long, honestly it was a combination of many things. First off it was Christmas season so I had to go shopping and i spent my time with the family, plus this was my first time writing a fight scene and so it also took a while for me to try and learn how to write one. But i do hope you all like the fight scene because there will be more of this in future installments.**

 **To those who all voted on my poll for future stories thank you, its still in my profile and i decided to leave it until i post the next chapter, that will be the deadline for the poll and so for everyone who has yet to vote please go to my profile and do so. The topic is to help determine the theme and plot for my future stories after this one or possibly even while doing this one.**

 **Thank you for all my readers and once again i'm sorry for being late in updating, but thanks for everyone's patience with me. I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and I hope all of you have a great New Years. Once again please leave any form of constructive criticism or advice in the comment section or you could pm me, if you have any questions or suggestions about the story then you could comment or pm me again. For everyone please help me spread this story, please continue the favorites and follows it is all very much appreciated.**

 **Thank you everybody!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: A Fox in the Snake Pit**

 **The Summit Venue**

"It's been a while Naruto, it seems many things have changed since we last saw each other" Sasuke said with a smug grin on his face.

"Sasuke, as Hokage of Konoha I ask for you to stand down. I am giving you one last ultimatum to return to Konoha, you can repent for your crimes there. But I warn you this is a one-time offer only, if you reject this then I will have no choice but to handle you myself"

Sasuke laughed mirthlessly at Naruto, "Do you expect me to return to that shithole you call a village? Konoha will burn to the ground, and I will be the harbinger for its destruction. For too long my clan has been used and betrayed by that worthless village, but I will avenge them all" he yelled angrily.

"You're being a fool Sasuke, don't risk your life for pointless vengeance, you're better that

"What do you know Naruto? Nothing. You know nothing of my strife, you know nothing of my suffering. You never experienced the loss I suffered, you always pretend to be sympathize with me but in truth you don't understand my pain"

Naruto shook his head, "That's where your wrong Sasuke, I too experienced pain in my lifetime. Both of us have different forms of pain, but the difference between you was that you were actually loved by a family. I never had that luxury growing up, you were also seen as the prince of Konoha because of your status as the last loyal Uchiha; I never had those luxuries because I was the demon child. I was hated and tormented as a kid but I continued and I never gave up. But even then I've experienced loss much like yours, I may not have been raised by a family but I've felt as if I've lost family the day the Sandaime Hokage and my sensei Jiraiya died" he said in a sombre tone.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke remained unaffected by his claims, his emotions at the moment were genuine and from the heart, "We've both felt similar levels of pain and loss but we've experienced them through different ways. Trust me Sasuke I understand how you feel, you can come back home to Team Seven, to Konoha and to all the people who care for you" he continued to say.

"Get it in your thick skull dobe, I am never returning there as a ninja of Konoha, but I will return as its destroyer. Just give this up Naruto, nothing will change my mind"

Naruto was quickly losing patience, he had to stress this point further to Sasuke for him to truly realize the implications of his decisions. Naruto promised himself and the elders of Konoha that he was going to try to bring back Sasuke one last time, and this was Sasuke's ultimatum. But before Naruto could truly make a decision he had to make a break through with Sasuke, his rival could be even more stubborn as him when he wanted to be, and that was saying something.

"Dammit Sasuke just think about this for a second, you're a fucking missing-nin and all five nations are out to get you because of your affiliation with Akatsuki. You left Konoha for Orochimaru to gain power, but know you've achieved that power and accomplished your goal to kill Itachi. Why are you really doing this?" Naruto yelled sternly with an authoritative voice.

Sasuke clenched his fists and his eyes widened with rage, "Don't ever say that name again, you and all of Konoha don't deserve to say his name after all you've done to him" he yelled before sending a large fireball towards Naruto's general direction, **"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu"** Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes widened by Sasuke's reaction, 'Dammit, it seems he knows the truth about Itachi' he thought to himself.

Naruto quickly grabbed a scroll attached to his waist and opened it as he yelled **"Fūka Hōin"** , all the fire approaching Naruto was sucked in by the scroll. Luckily Naruto came prepared for an encounter such as this, Naruto was aware that his elemental affiliation wind was weak to fire and without having a second element yet this led to Naruto being vulnerable against fire, and since Sasuke was a known fire user Naruto had to even the odds, and so what better way than through Fuinjutsu.

Sasuke's eyes widen for a second once he noticed Naruto's new ability, "Fuinjutsu, I never thought you'd use techniques such as those" he said.

"I'm an Uzumaki, Sasuke. What do you expect? Fuinjutsu is in my blood"

"Touché"

Then Naruto and Sasuke ran towards each other engaging in a taijutsu battle. Between the two of them, it was clear that both differed in their fighting styles. Naruto relied on his limitless stamina and brute force while Sasuke used his agility and quick reflex time for his advantage.

Naruto for the most part was the attacker, he threw punches and kicks continually at high speeds while Sasuke was more strategic and defensive in his approach. He dodged and blocked as much of Naruto's attacks as he could and he countered back with timely and precise hits whenever Naruto left an opening. But just because Sasuke was nimble on his feet, that didn't mean Naruto never landed any hits, in fact Naruto's strength sometimes overpowered Sasuke's blocks.

Both men were left staggered and bruised from the taijutsu battle alone, their styles heavily contrasted each other and yet both also countered each other.

Naruto sent a roundhouse kick directed at his opponent's head, Sasuke blocked just in time and countered back with a punch to his gut. Sasuke's Sharingan was playing a major role in this battle, with this impressive Kekkei Genkai time seemed to slow down for Sasuke as his eyes calculated and anticipated all of Naruto's moves, this gave him a distinct advantage especially when it came to taijutsu battles.

Naruto winced in pain and noticed Sasuke smirking at him, "I'm going to wipe that stupid grin off your face".

"I'd like to see you try dobe"

Both jumped and separated from their taijutsu clash, the two opponents hastily weaved through hand signs, it was time to take this fight seriously.

" **Chidori Senbon"**

" **Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku"**

* * *

 **With Sai**

Sai arrived near the front of the summit venue, he was in shock to hear explosions around the summit. He approached and scouted the front gates, from what he saw there were still quite a large number of samurai guarding the summit venue. Above the gates there were also vantage points with samurai archers patrolling the area to protect the summit from any intruders or reinforcements attacking the area.

The ROOT operative realized that the only way for him to enter was to sneak in, seeing no other alternative solution Sai hastily began to infiltrate the summit venue. Thankfully for Sai being a member of ROOT finally seemed to pay off for him, all of them were taught assassination and espionage skills and one of which was infiltration. Scaling the building's walls to secretly enter the summit venue was easy, the difficult part was finding Naruto amidst all this rabble and chaos.

* * *

 **With Naruto and Sasuke**

Both jutsus clashed causing a small rumble around the courtyard, the lightning needles Sasuke shot at Naruto was consumed and countered by Naruto's sphere of wind. Naruto smirked as he saw the result of the jutsu and the surprised look on Sasuke's face. Sasuke should have known that wind would beat lightning.

"Elemental manipulation, it seems you have changed. I never pegged you for a wind user. But it won't matter now Naruto, you are going to die"

Sasuke unsheathed his katana and ran towards Naruto with the intent to kill, upon seeing this Naruto brought out his kunai and used **Fūton: Shinkūjin** on it. The jutsu had Naruto surround his weapon with wind, and with that the kunai began to use the wind to form a katana in its own right, but with the wind increasing its sharpness and range.

Sasuke arrived in front of Naruto within a matter of seconds and swung his katana downwards, aiming for Naruto's skull. Luckily Naruto reacted perfectly and blocked it with his makeshift blade, Naruto realized that kenjutsu was not his specialty, if he wanted to survive this ordeal he was going to have to use his unpredictability to his advantage.

While Naruto continually blocked Sasuke's onslaught of attacks he summoned three Kage Bunshins all having the same enhanced blade as the original Naruto, thanks to the Hokage's proficiency with this technique he no longer required any hand seals to summon them.

Despite Sasuke having the advantage in quality, now Naruto had the advantage in quantity. The three Naruto clones rushed in with their enhanced wind blades and they joined the original Naruto as the four of them swung their swords at the Uchiha.

The tides had now turned, Sasuke was forced to take a defensive approach, he was currently outnumbered four to one but that was not the only problem. Sasuke began to realize that Naruto's enhanced swords served another purpose, because of the increased sharpness from the wind surrounding the kunai, it was heavily damaging his katana and if this continued his katana may break.

'Dammit, this is bad' Sasuke thought to himself, he needed to do something and he needed it quick. An idea suddenly popped into Sasuke's mind, Sasuke focused on his chakra and he began to emit lighting around the area. The clones had no way to protect themselves from his **Chidori Nagashi** , Naruto realized what Sasuke was doing and before the lightning could reach him he jumped back safe from being electrocuted by the lightning.

But as Naruto jumped back he saw Sasuke using **Sen'eijashu** , snakes were sent his way and with barely any time to react Naruto used **Fūton: Shinkūgyoku** sending blades of wind to slice and dice the snakes thrown his way. The blood of the snakes splattered on the floor once Naruto's sharp winds collided with them.

"Sasuke stop, Itachi wouldn't want you to do this. He was a hero of Konoha and he sacrificed himself all for you, and here you are dishonouring his sacrifice. He lived to serve Konoha and protect the people of Konoha while you are doing the exact opposite"

Sasuke's glared at Naruto and his chakra began to flare, the level and intimidation of Sasuke's chakra was nowhere close to Naruto's but it had a different feel and vibe to it. Naruto's chakra was warm and if Naruto wanted to intimidate someone the chakra became dense and hot, while Sasuke's was simply cold. The chakra of both Naruto and Sasuke matched their personalities.

"How do you have knowledge of Itachi's sacrifice?" Sasuke was beginning to demand for answers from Naruto.

"I'm the Hokage, I'm give privilege to this knowledge. I found out not too long ago" replied Naruto.

"If you know about all this then why do you still expect me to return? Is it your promise to Sakura?"

Naruto sighed dejectedly, "Yes and no, I would like to keep my promise to Sakura. I never want to fail her, even after all the shit she puts me through I still want to keep my promises. But at the same time you were my best friend at one point, we were a team with Kakashi-sensei and Sakura, a small part of me wants that old life back. But if you don't comply and if you remain as a threat to Konoha then it is my job to kill you, and I will have no problem doing so" he said honestly.

Sasuke growled at the insult from his former friend, "You kill me? That's never going to happen, you'll never defeat me. Many things have changed Naruto, but one thing that never changed was my superiority over you. I was and still am stronger than you, and will always be stronger than you" the Uchiha said confidently.

Naruto growled at the insult, "Don't underestimate me Sasuke. Remember Kakashi-sensei's lesson, look underneath the underneath" he replied.

"Enough of this, now I'll show you why I'm stronger than you" Sasuke yelled, the chakra from Sasuke began to thicken and blanket the room while a large purple skeletal armour began to form around Sasuke. The ninjas around were left in disbelief at the legendary **Susanoo** , it wasn't the complete form yet but it was still powerful nonetheless.

Naruto was also surprised by this form, he hadn't expected for Sasuke to be that advanced with his Sharingan already, and Naruto prided himself for being prepared for anything.

"You must know by now that I am not returning to Konoha no matter what, I would rather kill myself than return to that village after all it did to my brother, my family and my clan. After everything my people have been through because of those elders of yours, I will stop at nothing to avenge them and make the people and elders of Konoha suffer like my people did. I will use the power of my **Susanoo** and of my **Amaterasu** and will burn and destroy Konoha"

Naruto scowled, no matter how hard he tried it really seemed as if nothing was getting to him. He promised himself that if Sasuke doesn't change his mind then he would have to kill him, and now it seems that is really the case at the moment.

Sasuke grinned once he noticed the disgruntled look of Naruto, "What's the matter Naruto? Scared are you? And here I thought you grew stronger since we last met, but I guess I'm wrong. Once a dobe always a dobe, I guess it's no wonder Sakura always preferred me" he taunted.

Naruto clenched his fists in anger, Sasuke may have hit a nerve when he mentioned Sakura. Naruto was now getting angry, he trained days and nights to finally prove himself worthy of being the Hokage. So far Naruto was going easy on the guy, but now he asked for it.

"I'm no longer the dobe you once knew a long time ago Sasuke. I've surpassed you and now I'm going kick your sorry ass" yelled Naruto as he summoned a hundred shadow clones, all of them standing right beside him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, this was a classic tactic for Naruto to spam his shadow clones, "Is that all you've got, you may have added some elemental manipulation but other than that you're still a one trick pony Naruto" he replied.

Naruto grinned now that his plan was set to place, "Watch Sasuke, this is just a small fraction of what I could do" he yelled while the clones all pulled out one shuriken from their back pockets.

Each of them all threw their shuriken at Sasuke but the Uchiha was unmoving and unimpressed by this display, but for Naruto this was just the beginning. The clones went through their hand seals and Sasuke's eyes widened once he realized Naruto's plan.

"Oh shit" Sasuke said to himself, he began to control his Susanoo to assume a more defensive stance to prepare himself for the incoming barrage of shuriken.

" **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"** yelled all the clones, the shuriken they originally threw began to multiply from being a hundred into being thousands of shuriken, all of them being thrown at Sasuke.

" **Fūton: Reppūshō"** the clones yelled once more, this time they formed a powerful gale towards their shuriken and the addition of the wind increased the speed and rotation of the projectiles.

The people around them watched in awe at Naruto's attack, that was the peak of innovation and power for shurikenjutsu. Team Taka were amazed at such a combination of techniques, it would take an extremely large chakra source not only to summon a hundred shadow clones but to also have those same shadow clones perform powerful techniques.

Now it was Naruto's turn to grin seeing as how Sasuke was breathing heavily, the Uchiha's Susanoo still stood but even Naruto could see that it was heavily damaged from the attack. The Susanoo was known to be the most powerful armour, but that didn't mean it was unbreakable. It just mean it required something powerful to destroy it, and Naruto knew just what to do.

"Prepare yourself Sasuke, I will show you my ultimate power" Naruto exclaimed as he laid the Shadow Clone Summoning Scroll to the ground, with it Naruto summoned one of the two clones Naruto left in Mount Myoboku before he arrived in the summit venue. The meditating clone quickly disappeared, the surrounding ninjas were confused as to what was happening but they all noticed that the pigmentation around Naruto's eyes began to change.

Among the audience Neji and Shikamaru grinned as they realized this was Naruto's most powerful form, this was the power Naruto used to defeat Pein, this was his Sage Mode.

Sasuke watched intriguingly, he scoffed once he noticed that all that happened was a change in Naruto's pigmentation, "Is that all that does? Does it just change the look of your eyes?" he asked sarcastically.

Naruto could feel the power surge within him, he heard Sasuke's snide and sarcastic remarks but paid them no mind, and it was time for him to end things.

"Sasuke I've warned you and I've tried to convince your mind but it seems you're not willing to listen to reason or see the truth. You're too enamoured with concepts of vengeance and power, and they have corrupted you. Everything you are doing now is dishonouring your brother, it's like your spitting in his grave. I'm going to ask you one final time Sasuke, will you return to Konoha?" asked the Hokage.

Sasuke glared at Naruto for the insults within his speech, "I will never return to that village" he answered venomously.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Very well if that's your choice then so be it. Now it is my job to eliminate all threats to Konoha and its people, I never wanted it to come to this but it seems you are now a threat which I must eliminate" he declared in a confident and monotone voice.

Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration, "Why do you keep on acting like you can beat me? So far I've been winning this battle and it hasn't even been close. You just got lucky with your shurikenjutsu, but other than that you will not prevail. My eyes will lead the way for me" replied the Uchiha.

Naruto remained calm compared to Sasuke's increasing anger, "You fail to realize Sasuke that I haven't been completely serious. For too long I've been trying to help you see reason but it was to no avail. Now I take off my restrictions, I'm no longer trying to take you back to Konoha alive, I'm bringing you back on a body bag if need be".

Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally, he could see that Naruto was being serious just by his demeanour and the way he carried himself. He could see that so far Naruto was holding back, but by how much he was unsure. Sasuke noticed that Naruto lips twitched into a foxy grin, the Uchiha began to feel annoyed by just how overconfident Naruto seemed to be.

"Sasuke in truth you're no match for me, in this form all I need is five minutes. Now let me show you why I'm the fucking Hokage"

* * *

 **With Danzo**

The old warhawk had finally arrived in front of the summit venue with his small army behind him, he looked around and smiled sinisterly at the sight of his ROOT soldiers fighting against the samurai guards. While that bulk of the army fought and distracted the guards in the front gate, a few of them sneaked in while the guards were preoccupied.

One group in particular was sent by Danzo to try and weaken or assassinate the Rokudaime Hokage, they were Torune Aburame and Fu Yamanaka, two of Danzo's best soldiers.

The time was approaching for him to not only control Konoha as the Hokage, it was time for him to control all five great nations. Danzo couldn't help but feel excited, even though he remained emotionless exteriorly, internally he was feeling exhilarated. This was his opportunity of a lifetime, if everything goes well and as planned then he would gain the power to rival that of a god's.

Having seen enough Danzo also began to sneak in the summit venue with a small group of his soldiers alongside him, aside from the front gate there were windows and sewage passages they could use to infiltrate the venue. He had sent Fu and Torune among other ROOT soldiers to go through the windows, Danzo and his own group were going to infiltrate through the underground sewage passages of the summit venue.

Having been around Konoha's Hokages for a long time, Danzo had commonly been a bodyguard for Hiruzen back in the day. He had regularly accompanied the Sandaime to the Five Kage Summits which have all taken place in this very same area, and so because of this Danzo had knowledge and a familiarity with the summit venue and all its secrets.

While Danzo and his troop enter the sewage system, a masked man appeared watching them from the trees surrounding the area. Madara witnessed everything that was going on around him.

'What the hell are you doing here Danzo? Your arrival is like a double edged sword for me. On one hand you may arrive and deal damage towards the Kages, but the same thing could be said about me and Akatsuki' he said to himself as he began to examine the pros and cons of the situation.

Once he made up his mind, Madara clenched his fists in anger, 'Damn you Danzo, I cannot take any more risks due to your arrival with ROOT. I must gather the others, it seems we must retreat before anything else happens' he thought before vanishing from the surroundings.

* * *

 **With Sai**

Sai was running around the summit aimlessly in search of Naruto, unfortunately for him he wasn't necessarily a sensor type ninja and so it was difficult for him to locate the Hokage especially with all these distinct and powerful chakra signatures around the summit. This combination of powerful chakra signatures made it difficult to discern which one was Naruto's.

But as Sai continued to sneakily and slyly search and explore the Summit Venue his eyes widened considerably when he noticed two ninjas sneaking through the windows. Sai's eyes widened upon realization that they were from ROOT, not only that but they were Torune and Fu, they were among the best assassins in the organization.

Sai realized that Danzo had begun his plan, and knowing him he probably sent those two to attack Naruto seeing as how they were the best equipped for a job of that magnitude, seeing as how they were also both from sensory type clans they could probably lead him to Naruto. With Torune's Kikaichū and Fu's sensory abilities it was going to be easy for them to locate Naruto.

Sai decided to quickly mask his chakra and lay low, once the two began moving he began to follow them as their shadow. While the two of them were best at sensory, scouting and assassination, Sai was among the best in infiltration, espionage and he was also quite skilled at assassination much like the other two.

Both Torune and Fu continued in search of their target, they were too preoccupied with their mission that they failed to realize that Sai had been following them along, Sai was their shadow.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

"Sasuke in truth you're no match for me, in this form all I need is five minutes. Now let me show you why I'm the fucking Hokage"

Naruto ran toward Sasuke and his Susanoo form, Sasuke saw Naruto approaching and use his armoured form to punch Naruto.

Naruto jumped up before the hand could smash him, once he was up in the air another hand swooped in to punch him. Naruto quickly noticed this because of the increased reaction time from his Sage Mode, to counter this Naruto put out his hand and simply blocked the large punch with the palm of his hands.

Sasuke's eyes widened, 'How the hell did Naruto do that?' he asked himself. Team Taka were also in shock at how Naruto blocked Sasuke's punch while he was in his Susanoo form, and what appeared even more amazing was that the punch had no affect at Naruto whatsoever.

Seeing Sasuke's disbelieving state Naruto summoned a shadow clone while up in mid-air, the shadow clone was used as a platform for Naruto as he jumped even higher, now he was above Sasuke's Susanoo form and it was the perfect time for his special attack.

The young Hokage began to gather chakra in his right hand, it was beginning to form a Rasengan but the Rasengan began to grow larger and larger, it was growing at an exponential rate and its size was near that of a small house. Once the jutsu was finally prepared Naruto began to purposefully fall towards the head of Sasuke's Susanoo, and once the distance between them was perfect Naruto thrusted the massive Rasengan towards Sasuke's purple skeletal armour.

" **Chōōdama Rasengan"** yelled Naruto.

The powerful jutsu collided with Sasuke's Kirin and a large explosion occurred sending Naruto back a few meters, he remained unhurt from the collision though the same thing could not be said about Sasuke and his armour.

The Uchiha's Susanoo armour began flickering until it was completely destroyed, blood was pouring down Sasuke's right arm and he was clutching it in pain. Sasuke was down on one knee nursing his bruised body, he was running out of breathe and ideas, Sasuke was left in utter disbelief because Naruto had done the impossible, he managed destroyed his Susanoo armour with such ease, it was supposed to be unbreakable.

Just as Kankuro had said that, Naruto began dusting himself off before noticing that he had destroyed Sasuke's Susanoo, a confident smile graced his lips as he saw the depleted and weakened form of Sasuke. It was the time to strike, the time was close at hand to finally end things between him and Sasuke, and he had finally proven that he was the stronger of the two.

The Hokage went through more hand signs, **"Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku"** he yelled.

Sasuke quickly stood up and realized the situation he was in, he couldn't die just yet and not by the hands of Naruto. Feelings of desperation began to gnaw at him, he had to survive, **"Amaterasu"** he countered causing the large sphere of wind to erupt with black flames.

Naruto began to notice that blood was now also dripping from Sasuke's eyes, he needed to continue this onslaught of attacks since he knew Sasuke couldn't last any longer, the signs were visible that he was reaching his breaking point.

Sasuke understood his current predicament, he had to give all he could if he wished to kill Naruto. The flames from his Amaterasu remained burning brightly, Sasuke had to suppress a grin once he noticed the black smoke forming from his fire. At least one thing was going for him.

But Sasuke needed more than just this, he had a plan in mind but he was unsure if it will work against Naruto, he now had to bring out the big guns.

* * *

 **With A**

The Raikage was sweating profusely while trying to gather his breath, his battle with Kisame so far had been a standstill with both of them matching each other hit by hit and jutsu by jutsu.

"I haven't been challenged like this in a long time, but it's time to end this" A admitted, Kisame grinned sadistically.

"My thoughts exactly, prepare to die Raikage" Kisame yelled as he grabbed the hilt of his sword, the legendary Samehada.

But before Kisame could lift the sword up from the ground he felt the sudden arrival of Madara behind him, A and his two bodyguards watched in intrigue as they saw the arrival of the strange masked man.

Madara began to whisper words in Kisame's ears and it was clear from Kisame's facial expressions that he was not pleased, he actually seemed rather pissed.

Once Madara finished speaking, Kisame stared intensely at his opponent the Raikage, "It seems luck is at your side Raikage, unfortunately we have to leave but do not forget me. I will come back and we will finish off from where we left, you will die" he said before vanishing alongside the masked man.

* * *

 **With Mei**

The Mizukage's battle against the Akatsuki member wasn't really even much of a battle at all, it was more of a battle between cat and mouse.

Zetsu was known for being the scout and spy of Akatsuki, he wasn't necessarily known for his combat prowess. Mei on the other hand was the Mizukage, the title alone shows her abilities and talents in the art of ninjutsu.

The only reason Zetsu had managed to survive had been his ability to pass through the floors and walls around the summit venue, he had used these as his hiding spots to evade the various boil and lava attacks from Mei.

Mei observed the empty room around her with her two bodyguards Ao and Chojuro right beside her, she knew that Zetsu was hiding somewhere there but she just didn't know exactly where. She was waiting for a clue or something to give Zetsu's hiding spot away and then she will strike.

"Stop hiding and fight you coward" she yelled hoping to either intimidate or lure her target.

"You're wasting your time"

Mei's eyes widened and looked back at the source of the random voice, both Ao and Chojuro also had surprised expressions once they noticed the two Akatsuki members in front of them.

One of the Akatsuki members was someone they were not familiar with, but what they didn't know was that he was the true Mizukage of Kirigakure for the past few years, underneath the man's mask was none other than the infamous Madara Uchiha.

Beside the legendary Uchiha was a figure known far and wide within the Land of Water, it was the most powerful member of the Seven Swordsmen, Kisame Hoshigaki.

Mei and Ao both had a look of fear at the sight of the madly grinning Kisame, both had known of his reputation and both have seen him in battle, and he was as ruthless and powerful as people claimed him to be.

Meanwhile Chojuro had a look of both reverence and trepidation, Kisame Hoshigaki was a name engraved in his head since he was one of the current members of the Seven Swordsmen. Even among the swordsmen they all knew that Kisame was the most powerful of the group, and he was possibly even the most powerful member of all time. He and the legendary Samehada were rightfully to be feared, but despite Kisame's role as a missing-nin and as a member of Akatsuki, the Seven Swordsmen still hold him to some regard or the power he holds.

The Seven Swordsmen respected power, and Kisame had more than enough of it.

"Kisame-senpai" Chojuro muttered in awe.

Kisame grinned and eyed the young wielder of Hiramekarei, "You've grown since the last time I saw you Chojuro, maybe now you might be a small challenge for me" he said.

Chojuro was surprised by the backhanded compliment by Kisame. Chojuro held Kisame to a form of some regard but at the same time he knew that he was the Mizukage's bodyguard first and foremost, and if he were to attempt to harm Mei then Chojuro will have no problem in stepping in. Even though there was a major difference in power between the both of them, Chojuro would still risk his life to protect the Mizukage, it's his duty and he wasn't backing down from his duty.

Chojuro unsheathed his sword and stood in front of the Mizukage protectively, Kisame chuckled menacingly at the scene in front of him

"Don't worry kid, you don't have to fight me just yet. Maybe the next time we see each other then we can have our fight"

"Zetsu come out, were leaving" Madara interrupted as Zetsu appeared from the ground beside Madara.

Mei's saw this as an opportunity, **"Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu"** she yelled.

The three Akatsuki members remained unfazed, Madara simply used **Kamui** and made a small portal which sucked in the Mei's lava attack.

Mei's eyes widened, her lava attack had never been countered and yet someone had done so easily. She also noticed the colour red glowing from the masked man's eyes, she realized that in front of her was an Uchiha, and not just any other Uchiha, it was Madara Uchiha.

"This is no way to treat your guests Mizukage-sama, we were just leaving" Madara said coyly.

"You are not our guests, you are all criminal scum and we will put an end to you Madara"

"I'm surprised you know who I am behind the mask"

"You're a monster Madara, you're the reason Kirigakure is the way it is now. You used Yagura and started the bloodline civil war and here you are now as the leader of a terrorist group. You will not get away with this, I and the other Kages will not allow you to continue"

Madara arrogantly grinned underneath his mask, "No matter how hard you five try you will never be able to defeat the Akatsuki, I am immortal and my group will last forever as long as I live" he said as he and his two henchmen vanished using his **Kamui** abilities.

Once the three were suddenly gone Mei began to clench her fists in anger, they had to do something now if they were to stop the madman Madara Uchiha. Now she had to find and warn the other Kages, all of them needed to work together if they were to stand up against the Akatsuki.

* * *

 **With Onoki**

The fight between the Tsuchikage and the Snake Sage Kabuto was somewhat one-sided, Onoki clearly had the advantage due to his years of wisdom and experience in battle and his Kekkei Tōta: Jinton. However unlike the battle between Mei and Zetsu, Kabuto actually managed to hold his on but even with his Senjutsu it was not enough for the power of the Sandaime Tsuchikage.

Kabuto was quickly losing breath and chakra from the attacks from Onoki, Orochimaru's old apprentice was forced to take on a more defensive fighting style and thankfully for his Senjutsu and prowess in medical ninjutsu he managed to survive this long against the oldest living Kage.

Onoki had his arms crossed with a confident grin adorning his face, 'Looks like I still got it, these kids these days don't stand a chance against me' he thought to himself.

'Dammit this is not good, I need help against this guy, I may have underestimated him' thought Kabuto.

Just as Kabuto's worries began to escalate he sensed a familiar chakra signature quickly approaching, and within a matter of seconds a small portal appeared beside him and the leader of the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha calmly stepped out of said portal.

Onoki's eyes widened upon seeing the man who suddenly appeared, if he hadn't known any better this was the only man he had ever feared, Madara Uchiha.

Once Madara stepped outside of his portal he studied the surroundings, after a few seconds his eyes laid on the old Tsuchikage, the Uchiha patriarch grinned underneath his mask at the sight of the wrinkled and fragile looking Onoki.

"Fence Sitter, it's been a while since I last saw you. I wish I could say that you've grown since then but apparently you haven't" he said in a somewhat teasing and mocking tone.

Onoki gulped and remained silent, he didn't know what to say when it came to Madara Uchiha, he believed Naruto's words that Madara was still alive after seeing what he was capable of doing, but at the same time seeing it himself was a whole other experience. To him this proved that Madara truly was a monster.

'Kami it really is him, there's no mistaking it'

Madara frowned underneath his mask after Onoki's lack of a response, he noticed that behind the elder Tsuchikage were his two bodyguards and the two also had looks of fear and apprehension. It wasn't every day that the two saw their Kage speechless, this was usually a sign of bad things to come.

"It seems you have no response Onoki, you don't seem like the young fence sitter I knew. If you have nothing to say then me and my group will head out now, I would've liked to take this opportunity to kill you and your compatriots but unfortunately…..something interrupted us from doing so" he explained before vanishing with Kabuto by his side.

Onoki adopted a thinking pose and began to contemplate the current situation he and the other Kages faced, 'Madara is alive and he now has a group of S-Rank missing ninjas along with eight of the nine tailed beasts, this is just my luck. That damned Uchiha is now even more powerful than ever and it's going to take everything from the five nations if we are to stand a chance against him' he solemnly thought to himself.

Onoki shook his head to break himself off his reverie, he decided that he had to regroup with the other Kages to face Madara Uchiha; that was the only way they could possibly manage to defeat him.

The old Tsuchikage sighed in frustration, things were just getting worse and worse as time passes by for him, having been a Kage for decades he thought he had seen everything there was to see but apparently that was not the case.

'I'm getting too old for this shit'

* * *

 **With Naruto**

" **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu"**

Naruto pumped chakra in his legs and jumped to avoid the incoming fireball.

" **Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku"**

Sasuke saw the incoming wind attack as an opportunity for him to prepare his strongest attack.

" **Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu"**

The fire Sasuke unleashed managed to counter the wind attack from Naruto, and it also began to add more and more black smoke that began to help form Sasuke's thunder clouds for his ultimate attack. But the only problem from this attack was that the black smoke limited Sasuke's sight, he had powered down his Sharingan for now in order to preserve chakra for the rest of the fight. Knowing Naruto he had more than enough stamina and chakra to last him for days, Sasuke wasn't so lucky as to be blessed with the same stamina as Naruto.

Sasuke had his left hand gripping the hilt of his katana, he was waiting for Naruto's next move, and then out of nowhere two clones appeared from the black smoke in front of him.

Sasuke shook his head, 'Typical Naruto' he thought to himself as he slashed and stabbed the two clones, but once the two clones were easily defeated Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw a spark erupting from the clones.

' **Bunshin Daibakuha'** he thought to himself, he had seen this particular jutsu before considering the fact that it was one of his brother's old specialties. Seeing no other way to block or defend this attack Sasuke had no other option but to brace himself.

The clones exploded and it sent Sasuke flying back, the audience gasped at what they saw, the black smoke surrounding Sasuke managed to block everyone's eyesight, save for Neji.

Sasuke had small burns surrounding his body as he crashed into one of the pillars in the area, his body ached in pain but he could still carry on. Sasuke gingerly stood up to prepare for round two.

Sasuke saw the real Naruto running towards him with a kunai at hand, he decided it was time for him to begin to put all his cards on the table.

" **Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu"**

Naruto stopped in his tracks as dragons made of fire erupted from the ground, it were times like this that he wished that he managed to learn water manipulation while he was training.

The young Hokage knew that Sasuke used this to buy himself some time, even though it was for just a few seconds, but seeing the row of dragons made of fire in front of him he gained an idea, an unorthodox one at that.

" **Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku"**

Naruto used this jutsu one more time sending a sphere of wind pass through the pillar of flame dragons towards Sasuke, the sphere of wind flew at a fast pace and it began to light itself on fire making it not only a sphere of wind, but also a fireball.

He grinned triumphantly as he saw Sasuke's eyes widening in shock, this was why he was known as Konoha's most unpredictable ninja.

Sasuke had to jump out of the way of the large flaming sphere of wind, he had to hand it to Naruto, and he really knew how to use everything to his advantage.

" **Chidori Eisō"**

While up in mid-air Sasuke targeted Naruto with a beam of lightning in the shape of a spear, Naruto had noticed Sasuke's attack just in time for him to dodge the bolt of lightning. Unfortunately for Naruto the speed of the lightning spear was too fast for him and it pierced through his shoulder, but thankfully he moved just in time though because had he not it would have pierced his heart.

Naruto winced as he felt the searing heat and the electric shock from Sasuke's attack ravage his shoulder, these were the few times Naruto was thankful for having a Bijuu sealed inside of him, because of the Kyuubi Naruto had advanced healing traits.

The wound on Naruto's shoulder quickly began to heal but that didn't mean he no longer felt the pain. He began to nurse the searing pain in his shoulder as it continued to heal but he could not continue seeing as how Sasuke began to run towards him with his sword in hand.

Naruto dodged Sasuke's attempt at stabbing him with the katana, one more time the two began to fight in hand-to-hand combat. Just as the two began their taijutsu battle the Sand Siblings and the two Konoha bodyguards began to sense a few people approaching.

Looking behind them at the entrance of the summit courtyard was the Mizukage, Tsuchikage and Raikage all approaching them with their respective bodyguards by their side. From what they could see the three were glistening in sweat and there was small traces of blood visible through their clothing, obvious signs of battle.

The Raikage was first to notice the scene the Kazekage was watching, upon finally seeing Sasuke Uchiha in the flesh, his anger got the better of him as lightning began to engulf his body showing his world famous lightning armour.

Before the Raikage could charge into the middle of the battle a wall of sand appeared in front of him, it was obvious that the Kazekage was obstructing his path towards the Uchiha.

The Raikage glared at the auburn haired leader of Sunagakure, "What is the meaning of this Kazekage? That bastard captured my brother and he's fighting the Hokage, let me join in and we could kill him" he yelled.

Gaara shook his head, "I'm sorry Raikage but this is Naruto's fight, he and Sasuke have a complicated relationship and they have to settle it between themselves. This was Naruto's wish and I for one will uphold it" he replied calmly.

"What the hell do you mean by that? Who cares about their relationship, that piece of shit captured my brother and he along with his fucking organization had the gall to attack the summit. He made it personal and I want a piece of him myself. I'm warning you Kazekage, do not get in my way"

Gaara was not intimidated by the Raikage as he stood his ground, "If you want to interfere in Naruto and Sasuke's battle then you'll have to get through me. I owe Naruto my life and this is the least I could do to repay him" the Kazekage replied stoically.

The tension between the two were halted for a moment when they heard laughter from the Tsuchikage, the two looked at the elder Kage in confusion before he spoke.

"You really must calm down Raikage, the kid here is clearly not threatened by you. Besides let the Hokage have this one, it seems this battle between those two brats isn't just any other fight"

"I agree with the Tsuchikage, I'm sure the Hokage could handle himself" added Mei.

A scowled in disdain, "Very well, but if things aren't looking good for the Hokage then I'll step in and finish the job" he said.

Gaara nodded in understanding as he brought down the wall of sand, "Very well".

A nodded as he and his bodyguards walked over to the side of the Kazekage to watch the battle brewing, Onoki and Mei did the same along with their bodyguards.

Back in the battle between Naruto and Sasuke; after a solid punch to the gut, Naruto left Sasuke staggered. Naruto saw this as an opportune time to regain advantage he summoned four clones while Sasuke clutched his sore gut.

The four clones hastily surrounded Sasuke and the four of them simultaneously kicked Sasuke into the air, "U-ZU-MA-KI" they yelled one by one as the original Naruto leaped into the air and delivered a rotating heel drop on the injured gut of Sasuke.

" **Uzumaki Naruto Rendan"** yelled the original while Sasuke was forcefully and painfully sent back to the ground.

Shikamaru and Neji watched in awe at the blast from the past, 'Classic Naruto' they both thought to themselves.

Sasuke quickly recovered as Naruto landed meters away from him, he was forced to ignore the pain welling up in his body. Sasuke knew he had to finish things soon, with the damage inflicted on his body it was clear that he couldn't last much longer.

Looking up at the roof he grinned as he saw the dark clouds perfectly formed at long last, everything was prepared for his most powerful attack.

Naruto saw the crazed look on Sasuke's face, he began to worry once he realized that Sasuke was preparing for something big. He knew he too had to go all out on this attack, and with that thought he was going to fight fire with fire.

Sasuke raised his sword above his head as thunder began to form around the dark clouds, meanwhile Naruto had three of his clones beside him as they formed a Rasengan growing in considerable size.

The Rasengan in Naruto's hand began to adopt the shape of a shuriken and wind soon enveloped the blue orb of chakra creating a screeching sound.

Powerful gusts of wind had the audience of Akatsuki members, Kages and bodyguards struggling to keep themselves on their feet, the wind was too strong that it was slowly pushing them back. But despite the strong winds most of the audience looked in awe at the power of held by Naruto and Sasuke.

"What in Kami's name is this?" the Raikage asked in bewilderment.

The old Tsuchikage was the one most affected at the battle, his eyes were widened to epic proportions as he studied Naruto's special jutsu, 'Oh Kami someone has actually mastered that jutsu, this boy has done what the Yondaime could not. This is not good' he thought fearfuly.

Everything was now fully prepared, it was time to see which jutsu was stronger.

"Prepare to die Naruto, this is my most powerful attack" Sasuke yelled.

" **Kirin"**

" **Fūton: Rasenshuriken"**

Lightning shot down from the sky in the form of a dragon, it flew towards Naruto but on its way was a large shuriken shaped Rasengan engulfed in sharp blades of wind.

The two jutsus were at a standstill at first but eventually Naruto's Rasenshuriken overpowered Sasuke's Kirin, the shuriken-shaped wind attack sliced through Sasuke's lightning dragon and it cut it in half. In the end the elemental hierarchy showed that wind was truly lightning's weakness.

As a result from Naruto's attack the winds blew away the black smoke clouds surrounding the courtyard in order to prevent any more of Sasuke's attacks similar to the Kirin.

A large explosion erupted as a result from the clash of the two jutsus, both Naruto and Sasuke flew back by the sheer power of both techniques, while the bystanders remained safe thankfully because of their safe distance away from the fight.

The powerful winds continued to rage around the courtyard, the small audience of Kages, bodyguards and Akatsuki members had to use their forearms to block the incoming winds, it was to prevent dust from getting to their eyes. The force of the winds blew some of them back a few centimetres and their hair all blew wildly following the wind from Naruto's S-Rank jutsu.

The bystanders and the audience of Naruto and Sasuke's battle watched in awe at the power of both Naruto and Sasuke's jutsus. All three members of Team Taka were left in a speechless state, none of them could believe how Sasuke's Kirin was countered and defeated by another jutsu, and they couldn't believe that a jutsu could be even more powerful than Sasuke's Kirin.

To the three of them, it was obvious that Naruto was no normal ninja, all the stories Sasuke told them about him were apparently far from the truth, right before their eyes was not the so called 'dead-last' but instead a man worthy of the title of Hokage.

The Tsuchikage, Raikage and Mizukage were left speechless at the sight ahead of them, none of them could utter a word after witnessing such powerful jutsus. Just from seeing that display both Onoki and A realized that Naruto was really a Kage-level ninja, there was no disputing that despite how young Naruto may be.

Mei's expression was that of complete and utter shock, she shuddered in fear at the thought of an attack such as those being directed at her, 'Thank Kami the Hokage's my ally, to think anybody as young as them could hold such power' she thought to herself.

Meanwhile Gaara and his two siblings were also left in a state of utter shock, both Neji and Shikamaru were the only ones who were calm and unaffected by the sight before them and it was only because they have seen Naruto's battle with Pein first-hand. They knew what Naruto could do.

Temari had the most bewildered and stupefied expression, being a wind user herself she hadn't expected someone like Naruto to also be a wind user let alone have a jutsu as powerful as the one she had just witnessed.

"What the hell was that?" she yelled in disbelief.

Shikamaru smirked as he saw the priceless look on Temari's face, "That my dear is Naruto's most powerful technique, it is a technique he made himself. It's called the Rasenshuriken, as for Sasuke's technique I have no idea. But I do know one thing, both Naruto and Sasuke have grown since the last time they saw each other" he answered.

Temari continued to stare in awe at the power and aftereffect of both jutsus, as Shikamaru's words reached her brain she glared at the lazy Nara, "Don't call me dear, little boy" she said in a teasing yet warning tone.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say dear".

Before the two could continue Kankuro sighed and put a stop it, "Hey just shut up you two, they're both going at it again" he said as the two put a quick stop to their small argument to redirect their attention towards Naruto and Sasuke's battle.

"I have one more jutsu on me Naruto, winner takes it all?" Sasuke asked while panting.

"Very well Sasuke, one more jutsu" replied Naruto.

Both Naruto and Sasuke prepared their final attacks and the audience's eyes all widened, it was both of their signature techniques. A blue ball of chakra was forming in Naruto's hand while lightning began to engulf Sasuke's left hand.

'It seems it wasn't just my age getting to me, it really is the Rasengan. I can't believe this kid really mastered this technique' Onoki thought silently.

Once both techniques had been formed the two former teammates ran towards each other preparing for their jutsus to clash one final time.

"NARUTOOOOOOOO"

"SASUKEEEEEEEEEEE"

" **Rasengan"**

" **Chidori"**

Both techniques collided and once again a small explosion occurred blinding the bystanders for a few seconds, but once the dust was all settled it was clear who the winner was.

Sasuke was laying on the ground heavily panting, he was suffering from a loss of chakra and from various injuries caused by Naruto. He has had enough, he had used all he could to stop Naruto but it seems all of that was futile. He still couldn't accept death, but his body could barely move and he could barely stay awake.

Sasuke was in dire need of Karin's blood for him to be able to recover and recuperate, but he wanted nobody to interfere with his battle against Naruto, his pride would not allow it. This battle was supposed to be between just them, and now it seems that Sasuke is paying the price for it.

Naruto on the other hand was slightly bloodied from the collision of attacks and he was also. The young Hokage began to walk over to Sasuke with a heavy heart and a kunai in his right hand. It was time to end things.

Karin gasped as she saw the events transpiring in front of her very own eyes, "SASUKE-KUN" she yelled frantically. Beside her Suigetsu and Jugo were both silent and nervous, but neither of them moved knowing full well that Sasuke's fight with Naruto was his and his alone.

Naruto finally arrived in front of Sasuke, the Hokage sighed in regret as he saw the battered and bruised form of Sasuke, "I never wanted it to come to this Sasuke, but I have no other choice. I've given you many opportunities to return to Konoha, and to your friends but you have rejected each of them, and to make matters worse you became a threat to Konoha. Goodbye Sasuke" he said as he began to aim his kunai towards Sasuke's neck. Once all was set Naruto pushed the kunai towards Sasuke's neck in order to deal the finishing blow.

But just before the kunai managed to fully stab Sasuke's neck, two ninjas arrived and ran towards Naruto's back in a sneak attack, luckily for Naruto he was still in Sage Mode and he could sense them approaching, he looked back and prepared his kunai for the incoming attackers. But as the two were about to attack Naruto with their katanas, Sai suddenly appeared in front of Naruto with his two tantos both blocking their katanas. Naruto's eyes widened at the sudden arrival of Sai.

"Sai what are you doing here? We have a mission to carry out" Fu yelled.

Sai shook his head, "No I'm stopping both of you from completing your missions" he replied

'What the hell is going on here?' Naruto thought to himself, "Sai what is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Naruto but I can't explain everything, but let me handle these two" he said.

Naruto nodded in confusion as he watched Sai lead both Fu and Torune at a different location to battle, he was quickly broken off his reverie by a familiar voice.

"I'm disappointed in you Sai, it seems that you've betrayed me. No matter you and the Hokage over here will die along with all the Kages" said the mysterious voice.

Naruto looked ahead of him only to see Danzo emerging from the shadows of the summit venue's courtyard, the young Hokage was understandably shocked and angered to see Danzo at the summit.

Sasuke shakily stood up and looked at the same direction as Naruto, he was fuelled with rage once he saw one of the main culprits of the Uchiha Massacre just a few meters in front of him. But unfortunately with the injuries he sustained he began to cough out blood once again before falling down back to one knee.

Danzo looked on unimpressed with the display in front of him, "It seems the Akatsuki are also present in this summit, this is most fortunate seeing as how all my targets are gathered in one place. None of you will be able to walk away alive at the end of day, my troops and I will kill all of you" he said sinisterly.

Gaara was confused to see the newcomers, "Who is this man?" he asked.

Beside him Shikamaru gripped his fist in frustration at the sight of another potentially dangerous interruption for the summit, "That man is Danzo, he's one of the elders of Konoha and he leads his own secret ANBU organization loyal only to him. From everything he just said I assume he is a threat to all of us, he's been gunning for the Hokage position for a while now and it seems he's finally making his move" he answered.

Gaara nodded in understanding, "I see, then this is most unfortunate. We must help Naruto" he suggested.

Naruto having his Senjutsu abilities managed to hear the conversation between Gaara and Shikamaru, "No, I can handle him myself, leave this bastard to me" he said with a sense finality in his voice.

"Naruto are you sure? You might need our help" the Kazekage said worriedly.

Naruto looked back at the Kazekage with a hardened expression, "Don't worry about me Gaara, I can handle myself" he replied confidently.

"Danzo you bastard, what is the meaning of this?" asked an enraged Onoki.

The old warhawk stared at the Tsuchikage with a steely gaze, "I didn't notice you there Onoki, and it's been quite some time since we last met. But unfortunately for you this is the last time we'll ever meet, you and the other Kages will all die by my hands" he replied with an uncharacteristic grin.

Onoki glared at the old Konoha warhawk, "You will pay for this treason Danzo, don't expect to survive from this encounter" he said.

"I should say that to you, I have hundreds of my ROOT soldiers present here and they are all ANBU level, even though all of you are Kages you are no match for us"

"Tsuchikage please leave him to me, I suggest for us to help the samurai protect the summit venue against the ROOT Army, we need to prioritize the safety of those men"

Onoki snorted indignantly, "Listen kid you're not the boss of me, you're too young to boss me around" he replied.

"I think it may be a little too late for that" Mei said as she pointed towards a large group of Samurai entering the courtyard from the area opposite of where Danzo appeared. Ahead of them was Mifune, the group of trained of warriors were clearly panting and sweating underneath their uniforms, it was no doubt that they were fatigued.

Mifune was the first to notice the Kages all gathered in the same area, he had to thank his lucky stars seeing as how this could help their chances of survival. He quickly ran towards the Kazekage, Mizukage, Raikage and Tsuchikage while Naruto was preoccupied with Danzo.

"We have a problem, there is an attack and our defences have been defeated, I've lost many good men. I will need all of our combined efforts if we wish to survive this" he said frantically.

Mei looked at the elder samurai sympathetically, "Of course Mifune, what is it that you need. We must find a way to stop Danzo and his small army of ROOT soldiers".

"We need to stop these attackers, they've broken through our defences as it is and they are all heading here. We need to stand our ground here and stop them here, but if we fail we all die. There is no other alternative at this point"

"Very well Mifune, I suggest we hold off the ROOT soldiers while the Hokage fights their leader, I think at this point he is best suited for the job" Mei added.

"Very well Mizukage-sama. We'll stop them from reaching the Hokage" replied Mifune.

"They will not pass" said Gaara.

"Dammit, first Akatsuki now this give me a fucking break" A yelled in frustration.

Onoki sighed in defeat, "Dammit I wanted to show Danzo that he was messing with wrong guy, but it seems the Hokage has the honour of doing that. But I guess fighting his men isn't that bad, the kid better whoop his ass though" he said.

Gaara pointed towards the entrance, "Here they come" he said as he prepared his sand to strike the incoming enemy ninjas.

Naruto had a foxy grin on his face as he overheard the plan, it was clear that he had their confidence and trust.

Sasuke groggily stood up with the help of Suigetsu and Jugo, he paid no attention to his teammates as he focused on Danzo, the man who was responsible for the death of his clan and for the treatment of his brother was just a few meters in front of him. This was an opportunity for him to exact revenge, even though he failed against Naruto he wouldn't fail against Danzo.

Turning to Karin he forcefully bit into his arms, he drank her blood causing his chakra to replenish and his wounds to slightly heal, Karin flinched in both pain and surprise by the sudden bite.

This was all Sasuke needed now that he was almost back at his full strength.

Naruto stared at Danzo coldly, it was clear from the expressions alone that Naruto was beyond angry, "Danzo you have overstepped my authority for the last time, for harming the lives of the Kages and the Samurai of the Land of Iron I sentence you to your death. Not only am I your judge but I will also be your Judge, Jury and I will be your Executioner" he threatened.

Danzo remained unemotional and even somewhat bored despite the threats by the Kages.

Naruto stood confidently until he noticed a sward grazing his right cheek, he looked at the corner of his eye to see a somewhat rejuvenated Sasuke behind him holding the sword.

"Don't think I'll let you steal my kill, Danzo will die by my hands for everything he has done to the Uchiha and to my family"

"I'm not going to allow you to hog all the action teme, besides I just kicked your ass just now. Shouldn't you be resting or something?" he asked with a foxy grin on his face.

"You just got lucky on that one dobe but you won't be so lucky again, next time I will finish the job"

"Be that as it may we have a problem before then, if you want that chance to finish the job we'll need to survive this ordeal"

"What's makes both of you think any of you could defeat me, I've had years of experience, I've been doing this since before either of you were born. The two do you are flies compared to me" interjected Danzo.

Sasuke scowled angrily, "So what do you have in mind then dobe?" he asked.

"How about we work together one final time?"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Fūka Hōin - Fire Sealing Method

Chidori Senbon - One Thousand Birds Senbon

Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku - Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere

Fūton: Shinkūjin - Wind Release: Vacuum Blade

Chidori Nagashi - One Thousand Birds Current

Sen'eijashu - Hidden Shadow Snake Hands

Fūton: Shinkūgyoku - Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere

Susanoo - He with the ability to help by all means

Amaterasu - Heavenly Illumination

Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique

Fūton: Reppūshō - Wind Release: Gale Palm

Chōōdama Rasengan - Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Sphere

Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu - Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique

Kamui - Authority of the Gods

Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu - Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique

Bunshin Daibakuha - Clone Great Explosion

Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique

Chidori Eisō - One Thousand Birds Sharp Spear

Uzumaki Naruto Rendan - Naruto Uzumaki Combo

Kirin – Giraffe

Fūton: Rasenshuriken – Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken

Rasengan - Spiralling Sphere

Chidori - One Thousand Birds

 **Author's Notice**

Hey there everybody, thank you for reading and please tell me what you all think of the newest chapter and the fight scene. Any criticism or advice about that is great for me considering its my first time writing a fight scene, any form of advice could help he develop my writing skills to know what to put in future stories and chapters. Anyway thanks once again to everyone and i'm sorry on the wait for this chapter, please review, favorite or follow, and don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile concerning the topic of my future stories. Thank you once more everybody!


	7. War on the Horizon

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't Naruto some guy called Kishimoto does**

 **Author's Notice: Well here we are, sorry for the long wait everybody but writing fight scenes just takes me some time to do since I kind of have to try and envision the fight and try write it out, and that process for me is a bit difficult and time consuming but I wanted the fight scenes as good as possible and this was the only way I had any chance of doing so. But anyway thanks for the patience and here is chapter 7 finally. This chapter may be a bit mature and edgy so beware, don't say I didn't warn you. For anyone offended by violence or swearing then I am sorry but that is how I like writing my stories, I write them mostly for mature audiences and that is why soon there will be a lemon for those wondering.**

 **For those who voted in my profile for the future stories poll, the gist of it was for me to see what people wanted me to write from the list of stories I kind of had planned up. And drum roll please for the result, on 1** **st** **place there are actually two stories tied and I do plan on writing both stories soon enough. To make it short and simple both stories were parallel stories I planned on writing and thankfully people voted for this because these were probably among the stories I really rooted for people to vote, in these two stories Naruto's life will parallel with the Sandaime Hokage in one of them and another one parallels with the Yondaime Hokage. For those who want a more detailed and in depth explanation and summary of that story then go to my profile, I have it there all explained.**

 **As for my third story well the vote had a Rinnegan Naruto story, and if the people want that then so be it. So far these are the three stories I will start writing about alongside this one, but the Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage will still be my priority seeing as how this is my first story. I will prioritize this story and try to update as frequently as possible, as for my future stories don't expect me to begin the stories soon because my process of writing is first making a large plan for my story and from then I begin writing the story itself. After writing a chapter I review it for errors and such and so for me it's a bit of a long process, I really do put a lot of work into this because I want the best for my readers.**

 **Though I am still on the fence for possibility writing a fifth story, for me I just like writing stories as a hobby and so I wouldn't really mind writing a fifth story since I do have a lot of time in my hands anyway. And if I were to write a fifth story it's really either the Mokuton Naruto or the ANBU Naruto, and maybe even the story where Naruto is promoted to a Chunin alongside Shikamaru.**

 **Anyway as for the pairings of these stories, the Yondaime Hokage parallel story will be named Yondaime's Legacy and that will be NaruSaku and NaruSaku only, my plan was to develop them and show their similarities to MinaKushi. As for the Rinnegan Naruto that will be NaruHarem, I am still contemplating who to add to the harem though but for those interested in adding particular girls to my harem stories just pm me who you want to add and why, I'm going to need good reasons to add a certain character because I don't want to put them there just for the sake of adding them on. Finally the Sandaime Hokage parallel will be known as God of Shinobi, for that story I'm quite frankly not yet sure whether to make it NaruSaku or NaruHarem, I'm contemplating both sides. For those who want either pairing once again just comment or pm me and try to convince me why I should go NaruSaku or NaruHarem, honestly I'm okay with either one but I just want to know what all of want me to write about. For those also interested, the Chunin Naruto will be NaruSaku, the ANBU Naruto will be NaruSaku (possibly NaruSakuIno, NaruSakuInoTen or something like that), and the Mokuton Naruto will be NaruHarem.**

 **That is all pretty much, once again thanks for everyone who voted and I will try to update as regularly as possible. Remember for anyone wanting a more detailed explanation about my stories just head to my profile and there will be an explanation for each of my stories. Once again please favorite, follow and/or comment on my story any of which is much appreciated. Constructive criticism is also welcomed here as long as there is not hate, this is a hate-free zone. Also for anyone who has questions do not hesitate to pm me or to leave a comment and I will answer them.**

 **Thanks everybody!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: War on the Horizon**

Sasuke looked at Naruto incredulously, the suggestion he made was a reasonable and logical one but at the same time Sasuke didn't believe he needed to work together with Naruto in order to dispose of Danzo. Sasuke was just as stubborn as Naruto sometimes, and his ego was not stopping him from accepting Naruto's offer.

"Tch what makes you think I need your help dobe? I can handle him myself"

Naruto shook his head at the obstinate attitude of his former teammate, "Sasuke don't be an idiot; you of all people should realize that Danzo is not someone we should take likely" he before grinning somewhat smugly, "Besides I don't think you can take him on after I just kicked your ass".

Sasuke was annoyed by Naruto's remarks, he realized that during their battle he did lose but he refused to acknowledge it, "You just got lucky Naruto, next time your luck will run out" he replied.

Danzo watched the two former members of Team Seven argue and bicker, the bandaged man was growing bored and he saw an opportunity for him to strike the two while they were distracted.

" **Fūton: Shinkū Renpa"** he yelled as he sent several blades of wind towards the Hokage and the Last Uchiha.

Both Naruto and Sasuke quickly ceased their arguing upon noticing Danzo's incoming attack, the two jumped just in the nick of time to avoid the attack.

Once the two landed back on to the ground they saw Danzo prepare to remove the robe hiding his right arm and once the robe was removed there on his right arm was a set of three golden arm braces each of which were sealing Danzo's right arm.

Danzo also began to remove the Sealing arm braces, both Naruto and Sasuke watched curiously and once the braces were removed, Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widen in both shock and disgust at the sight before them. On Danzo's right arm were Sharingan, all expertly embedded in his arm, but that was not all, on Danzo's right shoulder there was also a face of a man.

The old warhawk and also began to remove the bandages in his right eye and underneath it was one final Sharingan, Sasuke looked on in contempt and unbridled anger as he saw the eyes of his deceased clan implanted on the man who orchestrated their demise.

The other Kages and their bodyguards also noticed the enhancements Danzo made on his body as they fought off the continuous hordes of ROOT members, each of them felt the same way as Naruto and Sasuke. It seemed Danzo's pursuit of power turned him into the madman before them, the addition of all these features were incredibly dishonorable towards the way of the ninja.

"What is the meaning of this Danzo? What have you done to yourself?" asked Naruto.

Danzo uncharacteristically grinned and he also began to laugh madly, "You see Hokage my body holds Konoha's two most powerful Kekkei Genkai. My right shoulder holds the power of the Senju Clan, I implanted myself with the DNA of the Shodai Hokage Hashirama Senju. On my right arm and on my right eye are the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, their death proved to be of use for me" he answered in order to anger the Uchiha in front of him.

Danzo's plan worked well as Sasuke prepared to run in and attack him with his katana, but before Sasuke could charge in Naruto realized what Danzo was doing and so he grabbed the back of Sasuke's shirt to prevent him from falling into Danzo's trap.

"Stop Sasuke, this is his plan. Don't let him get to you, after seeing this we'll need to work together to defeat this crazy bastard"

"Release me Naruto, NOW. I will kill this son of a bitch and he will burn in hell for everything he's done" yelled Sasuke.

Naruto got tired of Sasuke's inability to listen to reason and so he pulled Sasuke closer to him and punched him in his gut, Sasuke fell down to one knee and clutched his bruised gut in pain.

"What the fuck was that for dobe?"

"That was so that you would calm down and shut the hell up teme. You need to see that you're going to need my help if you want to kill Danzo, even I'll admit that I will also need your help to kill Danzo. We need to work together to defeat him and besides both you and I have our reasons in wanting to fight him"

Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration, he really hated to admit it but Naruto was right. This whole scene was also somewhat ironic between the two of them, it was this time that Sasuke was the one charging into battle without thinking while Naruto was the one assessing the situation. He never thought he'd ever see the day this would ever happen.

Sasuke sighed in defeat, "Very well Naruto, have it your way. But mark my words this is the last time we'll ever work together, after this you and I will return to being enemies and trust me I will not hesitate to finish you when the time comes" he warned.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Don't worry Sasuke you used to be my best friend but it really seems things can no longer go back to when we were younger. This is the way things are now unfortunately, but I have no problem in finishing you off if you pose as a threat to Konoha".

Sasuke stood up and dusted himself before glaring at Naruto, "Don't get cocky dobe, you got lucky today but next time I won't lose" he replied.

"If both of you are finished with your petty argument I suggest we begin, I'd rather not delay your inevitable defeats" Danzo interjected confidently.

Both the Hokage and the last Uchiha glared at the Konoha Elder, "So what's the plan Naruto?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto began to softly explain his idea to Sasuke, "Because of our fight I used up all of my Sage Chakra. I'm going to need you to take him on for a few minutes while I gather Sage Chakra once more, you think you can handle that Sasuke?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Who do you think I am Naruto? Of course I can handle this, and don't take too long or I may just kill him myself" replied the Uchiha arrogantly.

Naruto rolled his eyes before jumping back towards a safe distance, once he was free from the ensuing battle zone between Sasuke and Danzo, Naruto summoned two shadow clones and the three of them went into a lotus position.

Meanwhile Sasuke eyed the man in front of him, he had been anticipating his chance to fight and possibly kill the old warhawk for quite some time, his hate for Danzo far surpassed the hate he felt for Itachi before he learned the truth about his brother's heroics.

Danzo stood emotionless at the sight of an angered Sasuke, to him this was nothing more but a small bump in his plan, once he dealt with him and Naruto then there was nothing more to worry about. He was confident in the power of his ROOT operatives, he had hundreds of them attacking the summit, and there was nothing that could stop them.

"I've been waiting for this moment, I've been dreaming of being the source of your demise Danzo"

"Talk is cheap Sasuke, I've fought and defeated members from your clan in the past, it will be intriguing to see how you stack up against them"

Danzo began to run towards Sasuke with a burst of speed usually impossible for someone his age, within a matter of seconds Danzo appeared right in front of Sasuke and he thrusted his fist into his damaged gut. But before Danzo's fist could connect, Sasuke summoned a large purple arm to appear and shield him from Danzo's punch.

Sasuke grinned smugly and laughed at the surprised expression on Danzo's face, "You'll quickly learn that I have far surpassed my predecessors Danzo" he said before completing the purple armor surrounding him.

" **Susanoo"** he yelled as the skeletal form quickly grabbed Danzo's body with its large right hand, the large skeletal figure clenched the fist which held Danzo until the body was squashed by the sheer amount of force from the grip of Sasuke's Susanoo.

" **Fūton: Shinkūha"**

Beside Sasuke's Susanoo blades of wind were sent flying towards them, but Sasuke noticed this quickly and he braced his Susanoo to defend himself from the wind jutsu. The strong blades of wind had considerable damage on the Susanoo but it remained standing.

Sasuke looked closely at the source of the attack and was left speechless to see that it was Danzo, 'What the hell? I just killed him right here. I'm sure I did' he thought to himself.

Danzo had a smirk plastered on his face, it seems his special abilities were working extremely well for him. It was because of these benefits that he enhanced his body with the Kekkei Genkai of both the Senju and the Uchiha.

The Susanoo quickly went in to punch Danzo, but the old warhawk quickly jumped backwards to avoid the large purple fist. While up in the air Danzo went through hand seals, **"Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku"** he yelled sending a sphere of wind towards Sasuke and his purple armor.

Sasuke was calm seeing as how he had just fought Naruto who used similar wind techniques, **"Amaterasu"** he yelled as blood dripped from his eyes and a black flame engulfed not only Danzo's wind jutsu, but the jutsu caster himself.

Sasuke was panting heavily as he wiped the blood of his face, he let his guard down for a second as he thought that he had finally killed Danzo, but it all seemed much too easy than it should have been.

" **Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan"**

Wood erupted from the ground and it began to circle around Sasuke's Susanoo, the wood bound the arms of Sasuke's Susanoo greatly damaging his mobility. Sasuke's eyes widened in panic, the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai was one of the most powerful and rare in the world, and yet here he was bound by wood from a Mokuton jutsu.

The missing-nin looked around to find the source of the attack while trying to escape, he began to feel emotions of anger and frustration, he examined the area for the source and right in front of him and his Susanoo was none other than Danzo.

He couldn't believe any of it, this was the second time he 'killed' Danzo and yet he was standing there right in front of him, "How are you still alive?" he asked desperately.

Danzo laughed mirthlessly, "You're going to have to do better than this to kill me Uchiha. This is just the start of my power, you see Sasuke I am now an immortal. What Orochimaru sought to achieve I have accomplished, unlike him I managed to learn the secret towards immortality" he explained.

Sasuke grit his teeth angrily, while being bound by Danzo's Mokuton he began to examine the man for any signs or clues concerning his powers and abilities. Using his Sharingan he examined the man closely and he noticed one odd thing, at the start of the battle Danzo had ten Sharingans implanted on his right arm, but now there only seemed to be eight remaining. Two of the eyes were shut tight.

His eyes widened upon realizing the source of Danzo's immortality, it was all the Uchiha eyes implanted on his arm. During his time with Orochimaru, Sasuke read up and researched all about his unique Kekkei Genkai, he read through the notes and scrolls he brought with him when he defected to join Orochimaru. The notes and scrolls were from the Uchiha Clan and they contained the instructions and theories about the clan's fire techniques, their genjutsu and most of all, their Kekkei Genkai the Sharingan and its evolved stages, the Mangekyo Sharingan and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Upon seeing Danzo's ability to die and yet revive himself and appear somewhere else in the battlefield, there was only one ability which came to Sasuke's mind which matched this description.

"This is the **Izanagi** " he mumbled softly. The Izanagi was one of the Uchiha Clan's most powerful Genjutsu techniques, it was so powerful that it was classed as a forbidden technique due to it giving the user the ability to control his or her existence. In this case for Danzo, he used the Izanagi to turn his body into a physical illusion before he died, after his supposed deaths the Izanagi also gave Danzo the ability to reappear anywhere else in the battlefield.

Danzo's ears managed to hear Sasuke and the Konoha elder sported a demented grin, "I'm impressed you found out so soon Sasuke, I never expected for anyone to actually find out the source of my power. But no matter, you and that fake Hokage will die soon enough" he said in a mocking tone in order to further frustrate Sasuke.

Sasuke was more than angered to learn how Danzo was using the eyes of his clan, "You are nothing but a piece of shit Danzo, I cannot wait to kill you myself after everything you did to my clan, my family and especially my brother" he yelled angrily as his Susanoo's size began to increase.

The skeletal form of the Susanoo began to change as armor began to surround the skeletal figure, the wood binding and holding down the Susanoo was cracking and being split in two by the increasing size of the Susanoo. It could no longer hold onto the growing size of the armor.

Now instead of the initial skeletal appearance, Sasuke's Susanoo evolved and it now replicated an armored humanoid form. The Susanoo gained legs and it now also had four arms each with its own weapons, the top two arms held a bow with arrows. The bottom two arms also had their own individual weapons, the bottom right arm held a shield while the bottom left held a sword. The size of this Susanoo form dwarfed the previous Susanoo form.

Sasuke laughed madly due to the sudden surge of power he felt, "I've already killed you twice Danzo, I only need to kill you eight more times and trust me, and I will enjoy all the times I kill you" he exclaimed.

The Kages and their bodyguards all noticed the sudden surge of chakra and they were surprised to see Sasuke's Susanoo evolve into its next stage, this was not a good sign considering the fact that Sasuke was also a member of Akatsuki. Meanwhile Team Taka watched in awe, they saw their leader at work and his power seemed to quickly improve due to the emotions he felt upon facing Danzo for the first time. All his feelings of hatred and contempt were now about to be released. Naruto on the other hand focused solely on his meditations, he and his clones needed Sage Mode if they wanted to finally kill Danzo.

* * *

 **With Sai**

On another area of the massive courtyard, Sai continued to fight both Torune and Fu all by himself. His usage of his ink and his Kenjutsu made him stay level between his two opponents due to his versatility in battle, because of Sai's abilities in Kenjutsu and with his ink techniques he was comfortable in fighting up close and from afar.

"You don't have to do this, you two should realize that Danzo is only using us. We can rise up and work together to fight Danzo, we don't need to work for him anymore" pleaded Sai.

Torune and Fu shook their heads, "Sai we cannot do that. We do not want to risk betraying Danzo-sama, if he were to succeed then only Kami knows what he will do to us. We've all seen the heights of his power and he is someone we all fear" replied the Yamanaka ROOT member.

Sai sighed in frustration, he knew the repercussions of his demands but he wanted to free his fellow ROOT operatives from the shackles Danzo placed upon them. Sai was one of the few ROOT members who have experienced life outside of the organization and he had to admit, that life was far better than his life as a member of ROOT. He knew he had to get into the thick skulls of his fellow ROOT members, they were a fiercely loyal and obedient bunch and it was going to take a lot of convincing to show them why they should abandon their loyalty towards Danzo.

"I don't want to fight both of you, we've been through a lot. But if any of you wish to attack Naruto then you will both have to go through me" Sai declared confidently.

Torune was disappointed by Sai's stance in all of this, "So be it Sai. I didn't want for things to turn out this way but you leave us no choice. Prepare yourself" he yelled as he summoned his Kikaichū.

* * *

 **With Sasuke**

The new form of Sasuke's Susanoo towered over Danzo, but despite this the old warhawk remained calm and unaffected. Having lived through years and times plagued through wars and violence, he's seen everything imaginable and the various forms of the Susanoo were no different.

"This is mere child's play Sasuke, you're going to need a lot more than this to challenge me" he taunted.

Sasuke glared at Danzo, using his Susanoo he attempted to bang his fist towards the leader of ROOT.

Danzo didn't even attempt to jump away to dodge Sasuke's attack, instead he stayed where he was confident that his jutsu would counter Sasuke.

" **Mokuton: Jukai Heki"** he yelled causing a wall made of intertwined wood burst from the ground just in time to block the incoming fist of Sasuke's Susanoo.

Danzo yawned mockingly further irking Sasuke, "This is growing tiresome Sasuke. Is this really all you can do? If that is the case prepare to see my true power" he said in a bored tone.

" **Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan"**

Trees sprung up from the ground and they lunged towards Sasuke and his Susanoo, the trees rammed towards the Susanoo's body placing large damage on the Uchiha's special armor. Sasuke braced himself for the onslaught of attacks, he realized he had to do something to stop all these trees from attacking and binding him.

Sasuke and his Susanoo form went through hand seals, **"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku"** he yelled as his Susanoo form breathed out a large wave of flame to burn and incinerate the wood summoned by Danzo.

The Konoha elder stood there surprised that Sasuke had a fire jutsu of that power, this was one of Madara Uchiha's own personal techniques and it seemed Sasuke managed to learn it for himself. Danzo was even somewhat impressed by that display, it was rare to find techniques strong enough to counter even the Mokuton techniques.

"I'm surprised you have that jutsu in your arsenal" said Danzo.

Sasuke scowled, he hated being looked down upon by other people, especially by someone like Danzo.

"This is just the beginning Danzo, prepare yourself" he replied.

Sasuke's Susanoo grabbed an arrow and prepared to shoot it at Danzo, the old warhawk saw what Sasuke planned on doing. Once Sasuke released the arrow, Danzo anticipated this and jumped upwards to dodge it, but while Danzo was left vulnerable in midair he was punched by the Susanoo and banged towards the ground.

Sasuke smirked upon seeing this, "Three down seven to go" he said to himself.

Danzo once again appeared behind Sasuke and his Susanoo, he went through hand seals to attack Sasuke from behind.

" **Fūton: Shinkū Renpa"** he whispered while sending blades of wind to attack Sasuke and his Susanoo.

But Danzo had not noticed that the members of Team Taka were watching the battle before them intently, "Sasuke-kun he's right behind you" yelled Karin.

Sasuke heard this and his Susanoo form guarded itself from Danzo's wind attack, the Susanoo managed to block the attack but the armor began to flicker on and off. It was clear that the Susanoo had withstood as much damage as it could, Sasuke cursed underneath his breath as it seemed that his Susanoo could not take much more.

Danzo grinned as he noticed the receding form of Sasuke's Susanoo, the loss of that armor made things much simpler for him now.

" **Fūton: Shinkūjin"** said Danzo as he blew razor sharp winds to enhance the blade on his hand, Sasuke noticed this and prepared his own katana.

Danzo ran towards Sasuke with blazing speed and struck him with his wind enhanced blade, Sasuke blocked the attack with his own sword and soon enough the two engaged in a swordfight. Sasuke fared well against Danzo despite the gaping difference in experience, but both Sasuke and Danzo used their Sharingan to help anticipate each other's movements, because of this the battle was somewhat equal between the two of them.

While the swordfight between the two of them continued, Sasuke remembered about the card up his sleeve, his skills in Genjutsu. As the small fight between them continued Danzo hadn't even realized that he was being placed in one of Sasuke's illusions.

" **Magen: Kasegui no Jutsu"** whispered Sasuke with a sadistic grin on his face, this was one of Itachi's personal jutsu and he managed to learn it himself after days upon days of genjutsu training with Orochimaru. Plus the Snake Sannin of all people was aware of the power and abilities of this certain technique seeing as how it had been used on him before in the past.

Danzo blinked in one second and the landscape before him changed, before he was fighting Sasuke and now he was chained to metal pole surrounded by a blood red sky. His eyes widened in realization, "Genjutsu" he whispered to himself. Then out of nowhere large spikes fell and impaled him on his limbs, the pain was excruciating even for him.

He knew that all this was an illusion but the Genjutsu made him feel the pain of the illusion. Meanwhile outside the illusion Sasuke stood smirking in front of a disabled Danzo, Sasuke grabbed the hilt of his sword and quickly slashed through the neck of Danzo, the head of the ROOT leader slowly slid off his neck and dropped unceremoniously on the ground.

"Six to go" Sasuke said as he examined the area to find the next revival of Danzo.

After a couple of seconds Sasuke quickly found the chakra signature of Danzo, he realized that Danzo was now on top of him, Sasuke looked upwards only to find Danzo descending from the sky with his sword wishing to impale him.

Sasuke jumped back as Danzo missed his target, **"Chidori Senbon"** he said sending needle shaped lightning bolts towards his target.

Danzo countered this with one of his wind techniques, **"Fūton: Shinkūha"** he replied causing both jutsus to clash and counter each other.

Danzo was beginning to get frustrated with all of this, he hadn't expected Sasuke to last so long and for kill quite a large chunk of his lives, his patience was now running thin and he decided it was time to take things a bit further.

"I've had enough of this, it's time to end this" he yelled as he hastily weaved through hand seals, **"Kuchiyose no Jutsu"** said Danzo as he summoned his personal summon Baku the Tapir.

Danzo stood on the head of Baku and the large summon began to breathe in preparation for an attack, Sasuke hadn't managed to counter this in time and Baku let out a large burst of wind sending Sasuke flying back towards the side opposite of the Kages and their bodyguards.

Sasuke flew through the wall of the courtyard and it seemed he was one the verge of falling to the ground, being quick on his feet also summoned his own creature, unlike his snake summon he instead summoned a hawk. Sasuke stood on top of his hawk summon and it flew him to safety, it managed to save him from falling to his death.

Sasuke jumped down to the ground to see Danzo smirking from the tip of Baku's head, to him it seemed as if Danzo believed he had already won the battle. Wanting to erase that stupid smirk of the old man's face he allowed his hawk to return and he went through the hand seals for the **Kuchiyose no Jutsu** once more.

Sasuke bit his thumb until it slightly bled and he banged his open palm towards the ground, a large cloud of smoke suddenly appeared as Sasuke reappeared with an equally arrogant smirk as he this time stood on the head of a large purple snake summon, Aoda.

Both Baku and Aoda stood opposite of one another as both summons sized each other up, but both did not realize another figure approaching them.

" **Kuchiyose no Jutsu"** yelled another man as both Danzo and Sasuke looked towards the source of the voice, Danzo's eyes widened in fear while Sasuke grinned triumphantly when they noticed that the source of the voice was none other than Naruto. But this time Naruto stood on top of the large toad summon Gamabunta, Naruto's arms were crossed while a confident and foxy grin adorned his face. His eyes clearly also had the orange pigmentation as he did during his battle with Sasuke, these were clear signs that Naruto had once again achieved Sage Mode.

"Don't forget about me you two, I think it's time I join in the party" he yelled full of confidence.

Sasuke smirked at the arrival of his former best friend, it was just like him to have such a grand entrance, "What took you so long Naruto, I've already killed him four times before you came along. I'm sure I could have handled him myself at this rate" he yelled trying to one up the Hokage.

Naruto gained a tick mark on his forehead, "Shut the hell up teme, from what I've noticed you're barely holding on and so as usual I have to swoop in and save your ass" he replied.

While the two continued to squabble, the Five Kages fought with the continuous wave of ROOT operatives they managed to see the commotion behind them and they were surprised to see the summons being brought out now. It was a miracle that the floor holding them managed to withstand the weight of all these summons along with the various jutsus used in the courtyard.

Aside from that the Kages were also surprised to see the summons of Naruto and Sasuke, as Kages they had learned early on that Sasuke escaped Konoha to join Orochimaru, being the last Uchiha each of the five nations took note of him and his actions. Seeing him in front of them standing in front of a large snake summon was surprising to say the least.

But in terms of shock factor, it was Naruto who far surpassed Sasuke in that department. Gaara looked on in awe in sight of Gamabunta, the last time he saw that large toad was during the Chunin Exams where he and the Ichibi were defeated by Naruto and Gamabunta.

On the other hand the three older Kages along with Mifune were life in absolute shock, seeing Naruto stand on top of the infamous Gamabunta with his blonde hair and flamed cloak flapping in the wind brought back old memories of one certain man, the Yondaime Hokage. The possibly that Naruto may be related to the Yondaime was appearing more and more likely with his appearance being similar to the deceased Kage and his arsenal of techniques matching the old Hokage.

Out of all of them Onoki was the one left in absolute disbelief, seeing this he knew then and there that there was no way that Naruto was not related to the Yondaime Hokage. At the moment from the sight of this Onoki was becoming conflicted on the matter, on one hand the Yondaime Hokage was the most hated and infamous man in Iwagakure for his role in the wars, but on the other hand the five nations were in a huge dilemma because of the motives of the Akatsuki, and in order to stop them they were going to need as much power as they could to have any hopes of stopping a man such as Madara Uchiha.

Onoki prepared himself to continue defending against the ROOT members, but he was going to keep an eye on the battle between Naruto, Sasuke and Danzo just out of interest.

All three summoned beasts sized one another, both Gamabunta and Aoda were not pleased to learn that they were going to be working with one another, due to the rivalry and bad blood between the toads and snakes along with their summoners, both boss summons would rather be at odds than be allies but unfortunately for them the situation was called for them to work with one another.

Meanwhile Baku had no problem whatsoever in battling Gamabunta and Aoda, the Tapir summons didn't really have any form of relationship with the snakes, slugs or the toads thus the thought of fighting them easier to swallow.

The three large boss summons continued to stand there unmoving, each of them gauging their opponent to make the first move. After a few more seconds both Sasuke and Aods began to lose their patience, Aoda slithered towards Baku's directions to attack the tapir.

Baku and Danzo countered this by using the tapir's trunk to blow a large gust of wind to slow down and stop the large snake, meanwhile Naruto and Gamabunta saw this as an opening as the toad jumped up from where he stood and attempted to stab the tapir with the sword strapped on his back.

Baku noticed this and dodged but not before being slightly wounded by a slash from the toad's sword, the wound was not major but it did sting for the summoned creature. While Baku was up in the air, Sasuke and Aoda uncoiled and leaped towards the tapir, they jumped high enough to the point that Aoda bit Baku's legs effectively leaving some numbing poison at the tapir's left leg.

Both summons landed back to the ground, it was clear that Baku had suffered considerable damage so far with the combined efforts of the toad and snake summons, his bitten leg was also wobbly due to the poison left by Aoda. Because of this damage to his leg the tapir's mobility was severely reduced.

Naruto noticed this lack of mobility for Danzo's summons, he then leaned towards Gamabunta's ear and whispered his next plan of attack, Danzo saw Naruto and pondered what he had up his sleeve, and the fact that Gamabunta was left grinning did nothing to calm his nerves.

" **Gamayudan"** yelled Gamabunta, Baku saw this attack and would have jumped out of the way or dodged it but unfortunately for him the numbness of one of his legs prevented him from doing so.

Both Baku and Danzo was covered in oil from Naruto and Gamabunta's attack, quickly before they could counter this Naruto looked at Sasuke and yelled "Sasuke I need some fire".

Sasuke realized Naruto's plan and grinned, while going through hand seals he yelled **"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu"**. A large fireball was sent hurdling towards Baku and Danzo, within an instant the fire clashed with the oil as the summoned creature and his summoner burst into flames.

The tapir yelled out a painful roar before vanishing of a plume of smoke, both Naruto and Sasuke saw this and decided there was no further use for Gamabunta and Aoda for this battle, the two summoned creatures nodded in understanding before also returning to Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave respectively.

"Were halfway there" said Naruto as he and Sasuke descended back to the ground, Sasuke smirked cockily while he and Naruto searched where Danzo could have appeared this time.

Naruto and Sasuke walked over to each other and stood back to back as they waited for Danzo to appear, so far it had been a few seconds and there was still no appearance from him, Naruto decided to concentrate and sense where Danzo was hiding.

Closing his eyes he began to sense his surroundings and all the chakra signatures around them, Naruto's eyes quickly opened once he sensed Danzo's chakra right below them, Naruto grinned as he realized that this was like one of Kakashi's old techniques when he tested Team Seven on the bell test the first time.

"Sasuke I suggest you jump back from this" whispered Naruto, Sasuke nodded and jumped a safe distance back as he watched what Naruto planned on doing.

Once Sasuke was at a safe distance Naruto pumped chakra to his legs and jumped in the air, he summoned a few more shadow clones while up in the air and they provided a boost for him to increase the height of his jump. Once he was at his peak he began to bring forth a massive Rasengan on his right hand, one of the attacks he previously used on Sasuke.

While Naruto was descending to the ground before he hit the pavement he plunged the **Chōōdama Rasengan** to the ground where Danzo hid. The attack left a massive hole on the ground and on that hole was clearly the body of a dead and bloodied Danzo.

Naruto wiped his hands in dramatic fashion while the dust around his hand settled, "This is getting easy, we only need to do this four more times" he said out loud, Sasuke jumped back beside Naruto.

"You're right, were close to giving that piece of shit what he deserves"

Naruto nodded and the resumed their search for Danzo's next appearance, Naruto used his sensory abilities again and saw that Danzo tried to attack them from the air again, the old warhawk was once again descending from the air trying to impale them with his katana.

Naruto and Sasuke saw this and jumped back a safe distance, Danzo landed between the two ninjas each of them separated by a few meters. Danzo stood face to face with Naruto while Sasuke stood directly behind the ROOT leader.

Naruto glanced towards Sasuke while he stood behind Danzo and he nodded at his former friend, he grabbed two shuriken from his pouch, **"Fūton: Shinkūjin"** he whispered adding razor sharp winds to the shuriken, the addition of the wind made the shuriken increase its lethalness and size. Naruto threw this at Danzo but the old warhawk anticipated this simple attack, he jumped up to dodge it and the two wind enhanced shuriken were now heading towards Sasuke.

Sasuke began to grin as both shuriken flew to his direction, the Uchiha readied his Sharingan and grabbed his katana as he dodged the first shuriken before timing his katana to catch the second one, once he caught the shuriken he used his katana to throw it towards Danzo while he was still in midair.

Danzo had no time to dodge and realized that his time was coming to an end soon, he braced himself as the wind enhanced shuriken attacked and sliced him in half from his waist. Danzo's sliced body dropped to the ground unceremoniously, this was another life of his killed quickly by the two of them. Danzo was losing chakra and growing tired, he had severely underestimated the two young ninjas and he was now paying a price for that, and that price was death.

"And then there was three" mumbled Naruto.

* * *

 **With Team Taka**

Team Taka continued to watch from the back at the fight between the combined efforts of Naruto and Sasuke versus Danzo, just from seeing this even they had to admit that Naruto and Sasuke fought extremely well as a unit. During their time with Sasuke it was clear that he was a lone wolf type of person and fighter, but seeing him with Naruto showed the chemistry and understanding both had with each other in a battlefield.

It was strange just how well their jutsus complemented each other, they could enhance and further improve themselves because of their arsenal of techniques suiting the other. It was like how Naruto's oil and wind attacks enhanced Sasuke's fire techniques and vice-versa.

The battle soon continued between Naruto, Sasuke and Danzo, but while Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo watched the battle from afar, Karin quickly noticed a new chakra signature approach from behind them. Karin grabbed a kunai from her pouch and looked behind her ready to strike the possible enemy, Suigetsu and Jugo saw Karin's sudden movements and did the same.

The three were surprised upon seeing their leader appear from behind them, Madara jumped out of a portal he created himself and he saw the shocked faces of three members of Team Taka, and just behind them was the destructive battle between Naruto, Sasuke and Danzo.

'This is not good, knowing Sasuke he will refuse running away from fighting Danzo' he thought to himself before staring at Sasuke's three new teammates.

"You three, Akatsuki are now retreating. The attack by ROOT and Danzo was not expected and their involvement in all this seems to have ruined our plans. Kisame, Kabuto and Zetsu have already escaped the area and we need to leave as well"

Suigetsu and Jugo nodded but Karin refused, "I'm sorry but I'm not leaving without Sasuke-kun, he may be hurt or he may need healing and I'm the only one who could help him" she replied in an adamant tone.

Madara sighed underneath his mask, "Very well Karin, I wasn't suggesting on leaving Sasuke or even having him flee this battle. We all know that there is no way he'll want to leave this opportunity to kill Danzo" he explained before adopting a thinking pose.

"But I do have an idea, what if I bring Suigetsu and Jugo with me to meet up with Kisame, Zetsu and Kabuto and they could go ahead of us and retreat. But I can return for you and Sasuke" he suggested to Karin.

Karin thought about it and nodded in agreement, "Alright then I'm fine with that" she replied.

Madara clapped his hands together, "Good" he said as he walked towards both Jugo and Suigetsu, he grabbed the two by the shoulders and they began to disappear using another portal he formed.

Before the three vanished Madara glanced one more time at Karin, "Oh and Karin please don't let Sasuke do anything stupid. I'm counting on you" he said before the three disappeared.

Karin stood there surprised by Madara's request but nodded nonetheless, she was a bit frightened that if things don't go according to plan she may be killed by the Kages or even taken in as a prisoner. She could only hope that Madara does return and helps her and Sasuke escape from the summit.

* * *

 **With Naruto, Sasuke and Danzo**

Danzo stood wounded and panting, he was losing his breathe trying to keep up with the two younger ninjas in front of him. He had lost another life and he was left with his final two chances, but unfortunately for him neither Naruto nor Sasuke seemed tired or fatigued just yet.

Things were not looking bright for him and he severely underestimated the two and overestimated his own power, but despite this Danzo refused to lose or die when his goal and dream was so close to him. With all the augmentations and enhancements he placed on himself there was no way he could lose to the likes of Naruto and Sasuke, Danzo had the power of not only the Uchiha but also the Senju, and his years of experience in battle was even more than Naruto and Sasuke's age put together.

In front of him stood Naruto and Sasuke and both of them stood side by side with triumphant grins on their face, grins which Danzo would love to remove off their faces. Danzo knew he had one trump card left that he could use but he wanted to save that one for his final life. He had rarely used that power but it was seeming though as if he may need it soon enough.

Naruto and Sasuke saw Danzo's hesitance of restart the battle, and so both decided to restart it for him, the two glanced at each other before nodding in unison.

Both Naruto and Sasuke performed their individual hand seals, Sasuke used his clan's traditional jutsu the **Katon: Gōkakyū** no Jutsu effectively sending a fireball hurling towards Danzo, while Naruto enhanced Sasuke's fireball with **Fūton: Daitoppa** which sent a burst of wind increasing the size and velocity of Sasuke's fireball.

Danzo was annoyed by the size and power of the massive fireball heading his way, he pumped chakra to his legs and jumped upwards, while in midair Danzo was surprised to see that the area where Naruto and Sasuke stood a while ago was covered in smoke.

'A smoke bomb it seems' he thought in silence as he tried to anticipate the next move of his opponents.

Once Danzo landed back on the scorched floor, he avoided the fireball but the area surrounding him clearly took the brunt of the damage. Danzo grabbed his katana once more as he examined the small smoke cloud from the bomb, his two enemies were hidden in the smoke and after a matter of seconds two figures quickly jumped up from the small smoke cloud.

They were Naruto and Sasuke and the two had their kunai and katana prepared to attack Danzo, before the two could attack Danzo with their blades the ROOT leader brought his katana forward and blocked their attacks.

But while the three were on a standstill Naruto quickly summoned a shadow clone below them and the clone kicked Danzo forcefully on the gut seeing as how he was unable to block him while he was preoccupied with the real Naruto and Sasuke.

Danzo skidded a few meters away while clutching his stomach in pain, he coughed up a bit of blood from the force of Naruto's attack, Naruto's shadow clone disappeared as Danzo shakily stood up after being hit with such force.

Once the old warhawk stood up after being hit he once again annoyed to see both Naruto and Sasuke smirking in front of him, but Danzo's eyes widened in fear once he saw the Sasuke standing next to Naruto vanish leaving a plume of smoke.

The second that 'Sasuke' disappeared Danzo heard a whisper which sent chills down his spine, **"Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Chidorigatana"** was whispered in his ear by a figure as a sword infused with lightning impaled him from behind.

Danzo yelled out in pain and looked behind him, he was shocked to see that the person who stabbed him was none other than Sasuke; "How?" he asked in confusion while coughing out a bit of blood.

Sasuke twisted the sword penetrating Danzo to further increase the pain and Danzo clenched his jaw to try and resist the pain he felt. Sasuke leaned over closer and began to explain what had just happened, "You were fooled plain and simple Danzo. The smoke bomb we used was a distraction, Naruto made a shadow clone and used **Henge** to make him look like me. While we were covered in smoke I jumped away and hid where you wouldn't notice me, and once I saw an opportunity I took it, and now here we are you're down to your last life" he explained with a sick smile on his face.

"Prepare yourself Uchiha, you and the Uzumaki have angered me and now I will show you the extent of my power" replied Danzo.

"That's my line Danzo, you've pissed me off way too much and both Naruto and I will show you why you should never have fucked with us" said Sasuke as he dealt the killing blow to Danzo.

Once more Danzo's head fell and rolled on the floor, Sasuke sheathed his katana and walked over to Naruto, the two waited for Danzo to appear one final time. He was down to his last life and neither one of them planned on losing against the Konoha elder.

The both of them stood firm but then they sensed a sudden surge of chakra and a rumbling from the ground, it was clear that the source was Danzo and so the two braced themselves for what was to come.

Naruto and Sasuke sensed that this surge of power was coming from their right and so they directed their attention there, and lo and behold there stood Danzo and he looked absolutely furious to say the least.

"You two have impressed me, I never thought I'd have to use this power again. I can't remember the last time I've had to do this but you two leave me no choice" he said before screaming in rage while flaring his chakra uncontrollably.

Naruto and Sasuke watched in curiosity wondering what Danzo planned on doing, and both of them were surprised once they saw a familiar exoskeletal armor surround Danzo. The two former members of Team Seven gulped as they watched a humanoid Susanoo surround their opponent, they hadn't expected this to say the least.

Both young ninjas were surprised and shocked at the sight before them but that did not mean that they were intimidated, instead they were watching in anticipation and even a bit of excitement. The fight was now turning interesting.

Danzo laughed maniacally as a green Susanoo surrounded his body, he transplanted Shisui Uchiha's right eye onto himself to use powers such as this on moments such as these. Originally this was Shisui's Susanoo form but ever since Danzo stole his eye he inherited the same power and form as Shisui. But Shisui's Sharingan had more value than just any other Sharingan or Mangekyo Sharingan, aside from having the traditional abilities and benefits which came with the famed Kekkei Genkai, his eyes also the only ones capable of perofrming a Genjutsu as powerful as the Tsukuyomi, Izanagi or the Izanami, this was **Kotoamatsukami**. This genjutsu was the main reason Danzo sought out Shisui's eyes, it had the power to control one's mind, and the Susanoo was just a bonus.

The size of the Susanoo matched Sasuke's humanoid version as well, but Danzo/Shisui's Susanoo wielded different weapons from Sasuke's. Instead this Susanoo had a shield on his left arm for defensive purposes, and on his right arm he was equipped with a lance which resembled a drill.

Once the Susanoo was now properly formed it towered over Naruto and Sasuke, Danzo grinned seeing their disbelieving expressions, wanting to get this over with Danzo brought down his Susanoo's fist to strike down his two opponents.

Naruto and Sasuke were broken off their reverie once they saw the large incoming fist, both wisely jumped out of the way. Normally in this scenario Sasuke would have summoned his own Susanoo to combat this but unfortunately he had used up enough chakra as it was. He couldn't go overboard with it seeing as how he had used that technique twice already, and both times they were destroyed. He just needed more time to recuperate so that he could use that powerful technique once more time.

But while the two were in midair both had the same idea of attempting to weaken and attack Danzo's armor, Sasuke weaved through hand seals and used **Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu** on Danzo and his armor. Sasuke was not a fool, he knew that he needed jutsus more powerful than this to damage the Susanoo and from his arsenal of techniques there were only a few that could potentially damage and even destroy the Uchiha's armor, and this jutsu was just the one to prepare his ultimate move.

Danzo laughed upon seeing the flames burst from the ground, using his shield he swiped it across the fire effectively blowing the chunk of it out, the extinguished flames turned into a black smoke which flew the roof.

Naruto saw what Sasuke was doing and he decided to change his tactics, instead of using the wind technique he was prepared to use he instead summoned dozens of explosive clones from his **Bunshin Daibakuha** technique, all of which ran jumped towards Danzo.

The ROOT leader saw the incoming clones as nothing more but flies in his path, this time he swiped the clones away using his lance, but instead of the clones disappearing they seemingly ignited causing a large explosion around Danzo. The explosion caused more black smoke to rise towards the roof and while this happened Naruto glanced towards Sasuke with a knowing grin adorning his face.

Sasuke noticed Naruto and nodded back realizing that Naruto had caught on to his plan, "Cover me Naruto, I need time to prepare" he yelled.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "How much time do you need?" he asked.

"All I need is a minute" answered Sasuke.

"No problem, I've got this" the blonde Hokage replied in a confident tone.

Sasuke jumped back and began to prepare himself for his strongest attack, while being away from the fight he was also regathering the chakra he required to pull his plan off.

Naruto stood firmly in front of the Danzo's Susanoo, the old warhawk was using his wind techniques to blow the smoke away, and the smoke was also removing his visibility because of how thick and dense the smoke in front of him was.

Once the smoke was gone he saw Naruto standing in front of him with his arms crossed, the Hokage was unmoving and calm so it seemed. Danzo lifted his lance as high as he can but Naruto stood still, seeing that Naruto had no plan on dodging the attack he brought down the tip of his lance to where Naruto stood.

Naruto sensed the incoming attack and placed his palm to block the sharp tip of the Susanoo's lance, the two connected and Naruto was able to properly block the brunt force of the attack.

Danzo's eyes widened as did Karin as she watched in the background, it seemed impossible that someone could just simply use his palm to block an attack from a Susanoo, and for someone to do it with ease seemingly without even feeling pain.

Naruto saw the bewildered look of his opponent, 'This is the power of Senjutsu' he thought to himself. Naruto then pushed his hand leaving an opening on Danzo's middle.

The Hokage jumped forward and brought his right hand back, with his Sage Mode he not only had an improved defense but his strength was also extremely enhanced even to the point that his punches in Sage Mode nearly matched that of Tsunade's Chakra enhanced strength.

The Rokudaime Hokage was about to punch the Susanoo but before the unguarded point was hit Danzo hastily brought his shield to cover it. Naruto's punch connected with the shield leaving a large crack on it, but the shield quickly repaired itself seeing as how it was made of chakra.

Naruto jumped back before Danzo could perform a counterattack, but once Naruto was a safe distance he began to hear a crackling sound from behind him.

Sasuke emerged with lightning engulfing his body but not harming it, "Get out Naruto I'm ready" he yelled. Naruto jumped back one more time as far away as he could from Danzo's general area, he didn't want to get caught up in Sasuke's attack.

Sasuke laughed and unsheathed his sword, he pointed it towards Danzo; **"KIRIN"** he yelled as for a second time today a dragon made of lightning quickly fell down from the black clouds formed by Sasuke.

Danzo was at a shock for the attack and as quickly as he could he brought forth his shield and lance to help him brace for the powerful lightning attack. The two collided and Danzo had to use his all to defend against the jutsu, after a few seconds of a standstill from both sides it was Danzo who came out victorious, Danzo and his Susanoo still stood but Sasuke's Kirin really did some damage on them.

Danzo was left panting while his armor was left scorched and clearly damaged, due to Danzo's exhaustion Naruto saw a clear opportunity to finally end this.

Naruto summoned three chasow clones as they began to form a familiar Rasengan, as the Rasengan's size began to increase Naruto added powerful screeching wind.

While Naruto prepared his attack he looked at Sasuke, "Teme I need your help with this one, when this is ready use your Amaterasu on it" he ordered.

Powerful gusts of wind surrounded the shuriken shaped Rasengan on Naruto's right hand, **"Fūton: Rasenshuriken"** he yelled as threw the jutsu towards the exposed Susanoo of Danzo.

Sasuke saw this and yelled **"Amaterasu"** causing black flames to engulf Naruto's attack further enhancing the technique's power and damage.

Naruto watched in awe as the combined jutsu flew towards Danzo's general direction, but this time when it hit the Susanoo a large whirlwind erupted continually slicing Danzo and the Susanoo but the whirlwind was also engulfed in the black flames of the Amaterasu adding an intense burning effect. He couldn't believe how strong he's become over the years, "Hey Sasuke why don't we call this jutsu **Shakuton: Kōrin Shippū Shikkoku no Ya Zeroshiki** " he suggested.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a deadpanned expression and a sweatdrop, "How about no Naruto" he replied as the both of them instead continued to watch the effect of the jutsu.

The Susanoo could not stand the power of the attack, just after a few seconds of flickering on and off the armor simply disappeared. Once the armor was gone both Naruto and Sasuke could hear Danzo screeching and howling in pain. Naruto began to adopt a somewhat sympathetic look on his face, despite everything Danzo has done he really hated having to kill him, it was just part of his beliefs and morals but unfortunately for him it just had to be done.

Meanwhile Sasuke appeared unaffected and even satisfied with what they've done, after everything Danzo had done to his clan and family he personally believed that Danzo deserved a treatment far worse than this.

The two waited for the attack to die down, after a few more seconds of waiting it finally did so and Sasuke used his Sharingan to stop the black flames surrounding the area of the attack. Naruto and Sasuke walked slowly to where Danzo's body was, and as they came closer what they saw was a bloody and burnt man. They could hardly recognize him after all the damage he took from the final attack, but what surprised them was the fact that he was still breathing albeit barely.

It was clear from first sight that Danzo could no longer live carry on, he had a few minutes at most before carrying on to the afterlife.

"Any last words Danzo?" asked the Hokage.

Danzo could not move nor see but he could sense Naruto and Sasuke standing before him, he coughed up blood and winced in pain afterwards. The old warhawk couldn't believe that his plan had failed.

"Everything I ever did was for the good of Konoha, the village was always my main priority. Could you promise me one thing before I die?"

"Depends on what it may be"

"Promise me that you will protect Konoha as it seems I can no longer do that"

Naruto was surprised but after a while he nodded, "Of course Danzo, I will protect Konoha" he replied.

The Konoha elder laughed mirthlessly and unemotionally at the irony of it all, it was true sometimes life could really be a bitch, "It seems that the Daimyo really did choose the right man. I guess it was never my fate to become Hokage despite how much I wanted it. I can die happy now Hokage-sama" he confessed.

"That's good, I'll make this quick and painless" replied Naruto as he brought out a kunai from his pocket, he leaned down towards Danzo aiming the kunai at his neck to deal the killing blow; the purpose of this was stop prolonging the man's death. Naruto never believed in prolonging a man's death in scenarios such as these, he believed that nobody deserved to experience the same excruciating pain Danzo was feeling.

But before Naruto could deal the killing blow he felt a blade graze his cheek drawing some blood, Naruto looked on the corner of his eye only to see Sasuke holding the katana.

"Sasuke what is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"Naruto this bastard doesn't deserve a quick and painless death after everything he's done, let me handle this. He deserves to feel for everything he did to my clan"

Naruto clenched his fist at the suggestion of his former friend, "Sasuke nobody deserves that. He's had enough and we've done our job. You've quenched your thirst for vengeance and lets leave it at that" he replied.

While Sasuke held the katana at Naruto cheek he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, Sasuke was spooked for a second and looked behind him and saw that it was Madara.

'Where the hell did he come from' Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously thought.

"Sasuke leave him be. Besides I think it's time for us to retreat" the older Uchiha said nonchalantly.

"But..."

"But nothing Sasuke, the rest of us have returned and it's only you, me and Karin now"

"Tch so be it" replied the younger Uchiha as he sheathed his katana back.

Naruto was wary since the Akatsuki's leader was just behind him but he could sense that he had no plan of attacking him, for now at least. Naruto leaned once more towards Danzo and as he leaned closer with the kunai at hand he heard a faint whisper coming from Danzo.

"Hokage-sama, get back" he said meekly.

Naruto was curious as to what he meant but he soon quickly noticed a seal form on Danzo's body, the Hokage's eyes widened in shock upon seeing that the seal was a dangerous one.

Naruto quickly jumped away leaving Sasuke and Madara surprised by his sudden actions, Madara glanced towards Danzo and realized why Naruto had run away so quickly.

" **Ura Shishō Fūin"** he whispered in awe before looking frantically staring at his younger counterpart, "Sasuke jump back" he yelled.

Danzo coughed and laughed as he laid on the floor, "This is my last effort in protecting Konoha, I will stop both of you" he yelled with his last breathe.

The seal began to consume the area surrounding him, Sasuke and Madara both ran as quick as they could away from the seal, the two Uchihas ran out of the way just in time as the area where Danzo laid was instead replaced by a large hole courtesy of his seal.

Both clansmen were left panting, this was a close call, Madara began to examine the area around them and searched the area for Karin. Once he found the redhead he called her to join Sasuke and her, she nodded and ran as quick as she could to reach the two Uchihas.

Meanwhile Naruto stood meters away from the three remaining Akatsuki members, both sides were staring at each other, "Sasuke this is my last offer for you please reconsider and join Konoha again. You don't need to go down this path of vengeance anymore" Naruto said in a pleading and sincere tone.

Even though Sasuke looked adamant at his decision to leave Konoha permanently, having the opportunity to fight alongside him one more time brought back memories of the good old days and trying to convince Sasuke one more time didn't seem to be a bad idea.

Sasuke sighed before looking at Naruto, "Naruto as I said before there is no way I will return to Konoha, and after everything the village has done I can never forgive it. For today I will give you a pass, but the next time we see each other it will be as enemies, the bond between us no longer exists".

Naruto nodded in understanding, truthfully he had expected a response like this but it never hurts to try, "I understand Sasuke and believe me if you ever try to harm my village then nothing will stand in my way in stopping you".

"Thankfully we finally came to an understanding, these are just the paths we are meant to follow"

Both former friends looked at each other and both were finally at piece, for Naruto as much as he wanted his best friend back it seemed Sasuke had made up his mind and there was nothing Naruto could do to alter it. Naruto could finally uphold his duty to protect Hokage without having the burden of Sasuke weighing down on his shoulders, he knew where they stood and when the time comes that he will have to protect Konoha from Sasuke comes then Naruto will have absolutely no problem in doing so.

While for Sasuke he was content that Naruto finally understood his decision, he was glad that Naruto finally accepted that things were never going back to the way they were. The next time they face each other it will be like any other ninja battle, both will be fighting for their life, their beliefs and their goals. The rival genins were no more, the young teenage best friends were no more, and the Team Seven teammates were no more. Instead of that they were two men, two powerful ninjas who were going to fight it out. One as Hokage of Konoha and the other as an S-Rank Missing ninja of Konoha.

Both groups were silent as they stared at one another, slowly Naruto felt people approaching his side, he looked behind him to see the Kages appear with their bodyguards. On the entrance of the courtyard were a battalion of samurai fighting off the ROOT operatives, usually they would have helped but it was more important at the time for them to confront Madara.

Mei and Onoki appeared next to Naruto's left side and on his right were Gaara, Mifune and A respectively, behind them were their bodyguards, much like him the other Kages were clearly sweaty, tired, bruised and worn out.

Madara looked at his side at Karin and Sasuke, "Karin heal him up please, I think he's taken quite a breathing so far" he ordered in a calm way.

Sasuke growled in annoyance and Karin nodded, she placed her forearm in front of Sasuke to allow him to bite and heal from her blood.

Naruto glared at the elder Uchiha in front of him, he now shifted his focus from convincing Sasuke to return to Konoha to finding out the plans of the Akatsuki and learning how to stop them.

"What's your plan Madara?" he asked in a demanding tone.

Madara chuckled, "It's a simple plan really, I call it the Eye of the Moon Operation" he answered.

"Yes but what does it do" yelled A as he began to lose his patience.

Madara lifted a finger as if to shush him, "See Raikage-sama I was just getting to that but you have to be patient" replied the elder Uchiha.

"Why you…"

"Raikage just shut up and let him speak, we all want to know what he plans" scolded Onoki.

A glared at the old Tsuchikage but remained silent as they waited for Madara to explain his plans.

Madara grinned underneath his mask, "My plan is to have everything become one with me, I mean to achieve a complete form in which all is united" he explained, the Kages and Mifune all looked at the masked man with confusion and skepticism riddled on their faces.

"What do you mean by that?" Onoki asked hesitantly, he wanted to learn of Akatsuki's plan but at the same time he was fearful of learning what Madara had in mind, he knew Madara even from a young age and he could see him easily achieving whatever he sought to do. Madara simply had that much power.

"I plan on unleashing a monster, a monster that will help me unite the world, a monster defeated once before by none other than the Rikudō Sennin"

All of them gasped in horror, they couldn't fathom such a thought but in the ninja world nothing was impossible, "A monster? What kind of monster do you speak of?" asked the Kazekage.

"You were once a part of this monster Gaara, the monster in question is the fused form of all the Bijuu, a being possessed of the ultimate chakra"

The Kages were all fearful of what Madara had to say, anything that had to do with the tailed beasts was usually never good.

"The monster I speak of is the Juubi"

All the ninjas gasped in horror, "How can that be? Surely the tailed beasts can only reach up to nine" asked Mei.

Madara shook his head, "All of you are too ignorant to realize that the Juubi is the combined form of all nine tailed beasts, it is their original form as well. The Rikudō Sennin was also actually its Jinchuuriki, but the power of the Juubi was too dark and foul that if the Jinchuuriki were to die then the Juubi would just unleash itself back on the world. Fearing that this may soon happen, before his death the Rikudō Sennin had no choice but to divide the chakra of the Juubi into nine forms, he did this with the jutsu known as **Banbutsu Sōzō no Jutsu,** he divided the portions of chakra and from that the Bijuu were born. Once the chakra was removed the original body was actually sealed away and blasted into the sky, the body is what we currently now refer to as the moon" he explained.

The ninjas and Mifune quite frankly did not know how to take all of this, all this information was too difficult to comprehend and yet nothing was off the realm of possibility.

"How do you know of all of this?" asked Shikamaru.

"There is a stone monument passed down amongst the Uchiha Clan for generations, even now it lies beneath the village of Konoha. The stone monument was passed down by the Rikudō Sennin, and only our eyes could decode the writing on the stone tablet. The Sharingan could read a portion of it, the Mangekyo Sharingan could read even more than the just a standard Sharingan, and finally the Rinnegan could read the whole tablet without any problems"

"Why do you need Akatsuki to do your bidding, surely someone of your power could do all of this by yourself with ease?" asked the Tsuchikage.

"The wounds from my battle with the Shodai left me near powerless, at the moment I am a shell of my former self and yet I still have the power of a Kage"

"So this plan of yours is not only to summon the Juubi but to restore you to your former self?" questioned the blonde Hokage.

"I guess you could say that, but that is not all it entails"

"What else do you plan on doing then?" Naruto asked once more.

"I will restore the Juubi and I will make myself the second Jinchuuriki of the Juubi, the power of the Juubi will only maximize the power of my eyes and I will use all of that to help me achieve a certain jutsu"

"A certain jutsu? What is this jutsu you speak of?" asked the Tsuchikage.

"I plan on using a massive genjutsu which will reflect my own eyes from the moon's surface, and I call it the **Mugen Tsukuyomi** "

"I will cast my genjutsu upon all humans living in the earth's surface, this will give me the ability to control all of humanity within that genjutsu, and I will become one with the world" Madara further explained.

"You fucking lunatic" yelled Kurotsuchi.

Madara ignored her outburst as he continued on with his explanation, "I will make a world without conflict or hatred, and the world will unite under me. That is my Eye of the Moon Operation, and at the moment I hold most of the tailed beasts, there will be nothing stopping us from achieving our plans" he declared.

The Kages could not refute what Madara had just said, things were not looking bright for them and they knew that. The Kages and their bodyguards were all shaken up by the Madara's plan, and the morale of the ninjas were at an all-time low.

Naruto looked around him and saw the defeated looks of his compatriots, this was not a good sign considering the fact that the battle has yet to begin and they already looked as if they had lost. They were the leaders of their villages and they were supposed to set an example for others, doing nothing but moping and feeling sorry for themselves was not an option and Naruto knew he needed to do something to prevent this.

Naruto walked forward and breathed in and out as he focused his attention towards the elder Uchiha, "To hell with that" he yelled, the other ninjas were surprised by Naruto's sudden outburst.

The Hokage smiled once he saw that all eyes were now on him, "We are the Kages and we will not back down from the likes of you. We have a duty to protect our people and we will uphold it at all costs. You may have the power of majority of the tailed beasts but we have the power of five nations. We will end up as the victors Madara and there is nothing you can do to stop us!" he declared with a fire burning brightly in his eyes.

The Mizukage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage and Raikage watched in awe as a sixteen year old Hokage just stood up to one of the most powerful ninjas in the world.

Gaara began to walk forward to take his place beside his best friend, "Naruto is right, a peace born of illusion is nothing but a lie. Peace only holds meaning if it is made through reality" he said.

Naruto looked beside him and smiled at his fellow Kage, the two youngest Kages nodded at each other as a sign of respect and thanks.

A was the next to walk over towards Naruto's side, he stood firmly and proudly as he stared down the three Akatsuki members, "I won't give the world to the likes of you, I will do everything in my power to stop you and your terrorist group".

The Mizukage walked over to stand next to Gaara, "What do you expect us to find in such a world" she asked rhetorically, "It would be devoid of hope, it would be devoid of dreams! It is nothing more but running away from reality" continued the Mizukage.

The last to join Naruto was the Tsuchikage, Onoki slowly made his way towards A's side, "It sounds to me that uniting the world is your politically correct way of putting it, but from what I see your 'uniting the world' ploy just means ruling it for yourself and I for one will not allow it".

Behind the Kages their bodyguards and Mifune watched clearly being inspired by their message, Mifune was the most affected as he observed the reactions and actions of each Kage.

'Naruto Uzumaki, you truly are an interesting character. I think I've found the perfect leader for our forces' he silently thought with a small smile developing around his face.

Madara watched the sudden burst of energy from the Kages and he couldn't help but laugh mockingly, "Do you five Kages think you can do any better? Surely all of you have realized by now that there is no hope for any of you" he replied.

Naruto clenched his fist in anger, "Shut up you bastard, there is always hope. We will not back down and we will not roll over, we will do everything we can do to stop you and your plans" he yelled angrily.

"The concept of hope is nothing more but giving up, it is a word that holds no true meaning. Besides with the way things are going I'm already more than halfway towards completing my goal, all I need now is you Naruto and the Hachibi and I'd like to see your hope try and stop us"

Naruto's eyes widen as the Mizukage and Tsuchikage looked at him in confusion, Naruto didn't want to reveal his status as a Jinchuuriki just yet. A was also just as confused once he heard Akatsuki's need for the Hachibi.

"What are you talking? I thought you already caught the Hachibi, why would you need him again?" the Raikage asked while feeling extremely confused.

"Oh him, we unfortunately failed in capturing him since he gave us the slip, but from what I've heard your brother is quite a strong ninja" replied Madara.

A was left dumbfounded by Madara's answer, his mind tried to process everything and within a matter of seconds the Raikage exploded with anger, "That idiot, he made us all think he was dead but he was just on a fucking vacation. I swear to Kami I will kick his as, that stupid little brat will pay for this. Unforgiveable, he will taste my iron claw" he yelled while fuming over the fact that his brother played dead this whole time.

While the Raikage went into his little tirade, Mei walked closer to Madara with a questioning look on her face, "Why did you also mention Naruto in that question. Why would you need him?" she asked curiously.

Madara looked at Naruto before piecing it all together, "Oho so you didn't tell them Naruto, well this is going to be interesting. You see Naruto isn't just the Hokage of Konoha…he's also the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko" he answered.

Everyone but the Sand Siblings and Naruto's bodyguards were surprised by that announcement, "Is that true Hokage-sama?" asked Mei.

Naruto sighed in defeat and nodded reluctantly, "Yes what he said is true, I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi" he confessed.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I wanted to keep it as a secret for as long as I can, as for the reasons I can't really tell any of you, at least not yet"

Onoki examined Naruto and pieced everything together, there was no mistaking it anymore; Naruto truly was the son of the infamous Yondaime Hokage. It was practically impossible for them not to be related at this point, all evidence pointed out that Naruto was the Yondaime's Legacy.

Mei sighed in defeat, "Very well Hokage-sama I won't pry but please next time tell us about information as big as this".

Naruto nodded and thanked her for her understanding, he looked at the other reactions from the three other Kages, Gaara was unaffected and it was no surprise considering the fact that he knew all about the fox even while Naruto was still a genin.

As for Onoki he saw the elderly Kage studying him and examining him, while A was simply lost on his own world continuing his rant about his brother.

Gaara stared at the masked man in front of them, "I will not let you have Naruto" he declared adamantly.

"I concur" added the Mizukage.

"I won't allow you to get either the Hokage or the Raikage's brother" Onoki said.

A walked over back to the other four and stared down the masked man, "You won't lay one finger on my brother, I won't let you".

Madara looked down upon them, "I may no longer have as much power as I did in the past but I still gave the power of the first seven Bijuu, you simply have no hope against me" he replied arrogantly.

"I said it before and I will say it again Madara, there is always hope and we will not abandon hope" declared the blonde Hokage.

Madara examined the five Kages in front of him and it was clear that each of them were determined to try and stop him, there seemed to be no changing their minds. He didn't want to do this, he would have rather have them simply surrender and avoid all this senseless fighting, and they were just prolonging the inevitable in his view.

"So be it, I Madara Uchiha and my group the Akatsuki declare war on the ninja world. Prepare yourselves for the Fourth Great Ninja War"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Fūton: Shinkū Renpa - Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves

Susanoo - He with the ability to help by all means

Fūton: Shinkūha - Wind Release: Vacuum Wave

Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku - Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere

Amaterasu - Heavenly Illumination

Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan - Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees

Mokuton: Jukai Heki - Wood Release: World of Trees Wall

Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan - Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees

Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku - Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation

Fūton: Shinkūjin - Wind Release: Vacuum Blade

Magen: Kasegui no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique

Chidori Senbon - One Thousand Birds Senbon

Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Jutsu

Gamayudan - Toad Oil Bullet

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Chōōdama Rasengan - Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Sphere

Rasengan - Spiralling Sphere

Fūton: Rasenshuriken - Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken

Shakuton: Kōrin Shippū Shikkoku no Ya Zeroshiki - Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero

Fūton: Daitoppa - Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Chidorigatana - Sword of Kusanagi: Chidori Katana

Henge no Jutsu - Transformation Technique

Kotoamatsukami - Distinguished Heavenly Gods

Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique

Bunshin Daibakuha - Clone Great Explosion

Kirin – Giraffe

Ura Shishō Fūin - Reverse Four Symbols Sealing

Banbutsu Sōzō no Jutsu - Creation of All Things Technique

Mugen Tsukuyomi - Infinite Tsukuyomi

Rikudō Sennin - Sage of the Six Paths

Mokuton - Wood Release

Bijū - Tailed beasts

Jūbi - Ten-Tails

Kekkei Genkai – Bloodline Limit

 **Author's Note**

Here is chapter 7 finally, sorry about the delay once more but fighting scenes just take some time for me to write. Anyway the voting for future stories poll is finished and the results are in the upper notices of this chapter, but if you go to my profile there will be a more in depth summarization and explanation of my story. This current story will still be my main priority but I will also try and start writing and uploading them as much as I can. Thanks to anybody who voted for the poll and it has been much appreciated, anyway as per usual please favorite, follow or review the story any of those would be much appreciated. Also if anyone has any suggestions, constructive criticism or questions for my story then do not hesitate to pm me or to leave a comment.


	8. The Birth of an Alliance

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Author's Note: Well here is chapter 8, i promised to try and update in a more consistent weekly basis and here i am. Anyway this is chapter 8 and sincerely hope you guys like it. I'm also working on the stories you all voted for but they won't be released for a long time, i'm still in the process of thinking out the plot so it may take a while. But don't worry i will publish them as soon as i can and i hope all of you continue to support my stories. I just really enjoy writing, i find at as a refreshing change of pace from day to day life.**

 **Anyway enough of me babbling, as usual any form of constructive criticism is more than welcome here, but please no hate, and if anyone has a question concerning the story then do not hesitate to pm me or comment, i always try to answer any questions sent my way. But i did have a comment for my last chapter and it came from a guest so i couldn't really reply. The question asked was if i was doing my own version of Road to Ninja in this story, unfortunately the answer is probably going to be a no because at the moment it doesn't really fit with the plot i had envisioned for my story. I may still change my mind one day but as things going right now it is very unlikely that i remake that plot into my own story. Now with that finally done please favorite, follow and/or comment my story, it would be much appreciated :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Birth of an Alliance**

"So be it, I Madara Uchiha and my group the Akatsuki declare war on the ninja world. Prepare yourselves for the Fourth Great Ninja War"

"The Fourth Ninja World War? Are you serious!?" asked the Tsuchikage.

"I'm not a fool Onoki, I'm not someone who will say something like this is jest" replied Madara, "I suggest that all of you prepare because the next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield and blood will be spilt" he continued.

Madara then looked at the five Kages in front of him one last time before grabbing both Sasuke and Karin, the three then began to vanish with one of Madara's portals.

The Five Kages made no attempt to stop them knowing it was useless at this point, as the three were being sucked in the portal Naruto watched Sasuke leave with no form of guilt or regret, that in itself showed him that there was truly no way that Sasuke was returning to Konoha. He has had his chance at redemption but he chose to decline it, Naruto's duty no longer revolved around that haunting promise, instead it was now to protect Konoha from anything and everything.

Once the last of the Akatsuki were gone, Onoki sighed stressfully, "Oh Kami, what now?" he muttered.

"We must form an alliance, this is the only way we stand a chance of defeating Akatsuki and their Bijuu. We were speaking about this earlier on, and I think we could all agree that to combat Akatsuki we will need the combined efforts of the five nations" Naruto declared.

"I agree, we need to form this alliance and settle this dispute with the Akatsuki as quickly as we possibly can. It seems that no harm has also come to my brother, but it will soon..." added the Raikage in a dark and sickly voice.

Mei looked at her fellow Kages with a firm resolve, "I refuse to have Akatsuki to have their way any longer, my nation has suffered because of them and we plan on punishing them for their actions against Kirigakure".

The bodyguards all watched the determination and resolve of the five Kages and they couldn't help but feel inspired and safe, if the five nations joined together then there was nothing that could stop them, not even the Akatsuki.

Naruto couldn't resist the smile forming on his face, this was the first step towards achieving peace. Though they had to go through war to achieve it, at least the five nations were now banding together for a common cause, this was a huge achievement in itself. But while the Kages continued their discussion, Naruto remembered that ROOT were also attacking the area and that Mifune's samurai were the only ones holding them off.

"I think our talks should be placed in hold a little bit longer. Right now ROOT are still posing as a threat to us and I believe we must dispatch of them first" replied the blonde Hokage.

"I must agree with you Hokage-sama, we managed to severely lower their numbers a while ago but there are still a few attacking the summit and my samurai are currently fighting them off, but I fear there might be more casualties if we weren't there to help them fight ROOT off" Mifune added clearly feeling worried for his men.

"I see, you guys should help out with the rest of the ROOT soldiers, I have something I need to deal with" replied Naruto.

Gaara's eyebrow rose in confusion, "What are you up to Naruto?" he asked.

"I need to find Sai and get the answers from him, plus I doubt you'll need more help in fighting them off. I believe you guys held them off pretty easily"

"I guess could say that, in terms of power and skills we were better than them in that regard but their numbers were just too overwhelming at one point. But since then we've managed to cut them down and their numbers no longer pose a threat to us"

Naruto nodded before turning to his two bodyguards, "Neji, Shikamaru let's go" he said.

The two bodyguards walked to Naruto's side and the three went in search of their companion Sai, Naruto tried to sense his chakra and managed to find him within the large courtyard. Sai was located in one of the farther corners in the room and so the three quickly ran towards that general direction.

The four other Kages and their bodyguards watched Naruto leave, once he was gone out of sight they made their way towards the defending samurai to serve as backup. With the depleted morale and numbers of ROOT it was now a much easier task to finally end their attack on the summit once and for all.

After a couple of minutes Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji landed in an open space and there they found two dead bodies lying on the ground, blood was splattered on the floor and from what Naruto could see both bodies clearly belonged to members of ROOT. Near the two bodies was also a trail of blood, Naruto noticed this and followed the trail and after a small walk they found the source of the blood trail. The three found Sai sitting down on the hard floor and leaning on a pillar while patching his stab wounds.

"Sai, you alright?" asked Naruto.

Sai hadn't noticed the arrival of the three seeing as how he was preoccupied with stitching his wounds, upon hearing the sudden noise he looked to his left only to find a confused and slightly worried Naruto accompanied by Shikamaru and Neji.

"Sai are you alright? Do you need help?" repeated Naruto.

Sai shook his head and refused, "No need Naruto, I can handle this myself" he answered.

Naruto nodded and respected his wishes, Sai continued to tend to his wounds while Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji waited patiently for him to finish. After a couple of minutes Sai finally managed to close the deep wounds he gained from his fight with Torune and Fu.

Neji and Shikamaru then both helped Sai stand, the pale boy just barely managed to stand all thanks to the two bodyguards. His body was weakened and sore after his fight, but the pain was a small price to pay.

Once Sai managed to stand on his own two feet with the help of Neji and Shikamaru, he faced the Hokage and his two bodyguards and he knew they needed answers.

"Sai what happened? Why did Danzo attack the summit?" asked the Hokage.

Sai slowly breathed in and out to steel his resolve, thankfully at this point Sai knew that Danzo had been killed. The sudden loss of a powerful chakra signature was not hard to miss and having been around Naruto, Sasuke and Danzo, he managed to differentiate the chakra signatures between the three of them, and now that Danzo was dead the seal on his tongue was now left powerless.

Yes the seal was still there on his tongue but now it became more of a tattoo than being a proper seal, it simply lost its power with the death of Danzo. This meant that Sai was now able to give information about his former master and his former organization without the threat of his tongue exploding. The seal Danzo placed on his ROOT operatives showed just how cautious the man was with his information, he was willing to kill off his troops rather than give out any form of information about him or his secret organization ROOT.

Sai locked eyes with Naruto and he told him about Danzo's plans and reasons for his attack on the summit, he purposely left out his role as Danzo's inside man but he knew he had to tell him sooner rather than later.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji were all shocked by Danzo and his plans, they knew that the man was ambitious but they didn't think he'd go that far. It seemed that the Hokage position really had a major effect on him, the three could only imagine how things could be had Danzo been chosen rather than Naruto as the Rokudaime Hokage.

Hearing all of this also quite saddened Naruto, from his fight with Danzo he could easily tell how much Konoha meant to him, it was obvious that Danzo would do anything for Konoha's welfare. His love for Konoha was pure, he didn't want anything in return because all he wanted was for Konoha to flourish and thrive as a village.

Although Danzo's love for the village was pure, his actions and methods tainted his dedication to the village. Danzo would stop at nothing to see Konoha rise to the top, nothing was off limits for him. Naruto wondered if his love for the village could be tainted as it did for Danzo, he could only pray to Kami that the temptations of power never get to him.

"Actually Naruto there's something else I need to tell you" Sai said out of the blue, Naruto was broken out of his reverie as he faced Sai.

"Alright then, so what is it that you need to tell me Sai?"

Sai's heartbeat began to increase, he was feelings insurmountable guilt and remorse and it was finally time to confess his regrettable actions against Naruto. He had been holding all of this in for days and this was his chance to let it all go.

"First things first Naruto, I wish to apologize to you. I'm sorry" he said sincerely as he bowed down onto the ground in a Dogeza.

Naruto was surprised by Sai's sudden action, it was clear from the sight that Sai was pleading for his forgiveness, but now after seeing this Naruto wanted to know why Sai needed his forgiveness in the first place.

"Sai stand up!" ordered the Hokage, Sai nodded and began to stand up slowly, both Shikamaru and Neji offered to help him but he refused, this time he wanted to stand with his own two feet.

Sai finally looked at Naruto face to face, he could barely keep eye contact with the blonde shinobi and so he looked down at the floor in shame.

"Why are you apologizing to me? What have you done?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

The ROOT operative sighed, "I've betrayed you Naruto and for that I apologize, Danzo managed to gain information on you because he had me as his inside man. I was in charge of spying on you and I even managed to learn of Sasuke's choice to join Akatsuki the same time you did. I gathered information for Danzo and that was how he anticipated your moves" he confessed, there was a tense silence surrounding the four Konoha ninjas and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Naruto stood in front of Sai with an expression of disbelief and hurt and Sai couldn't blame him for feeling that way.

"Before you say anything Naruto please let me explain the whole situation"

Naruto snapped, "Oh please do Sai. Please enlighten us on how you apparently betrayed me. For fuck's sake Sai, I trusted you for Kami's sake and you end up being a double agent for Danzo. I know we had our disagreements when you first joined Team Seven but since then I actually thought that I could trust you. But it seems you've proven me wrong" he yelled in anger and frustration.

Sai winced and felt deserving of all this, but he needed to tell Naruto about why he had betrayed him, hopefully if he learned of his prior situation then Naruto could be more understanding of his predicament.

"Naruto, please understand I never wanted to betray your trust"

"Then why did you?" he screamed.

"Because I had no other choice" Sai muttered softly.

Naruto looked at Sai in confusion, "What do you mean you had no choice? Everybody always has a choice" he replied.

"Well I didn't have a choice, my ability to make decisions have been stripped since I was recruited into ROOT, aside from emotions our choices have also been erased" he exclaimed as he began to undo his Hitai-ate.

Sai's Hitai-ate was now untied, "This is how I was stripped of my choices" he said as the Hitai-ate fell on to the floor. The eyes of the Hokage and his two bodyguards widened proportionately, Neji among them was the most shocked of all.

The HItai-ate fell on the floor and a clang noise was heard, but none of them paid attention since they were all preoccupied with the seal placed on Sai's forehead. It was the seal Neji had hated for all his life and it was the seal Naruto vowed to eradicate, in front of them Sai had the Hyuga's Caged Bird Seal.

Sai saw their surprised looks and they were even left speechless, he then pulled out his tongue and showed the second seal placed on him by Danzo. Naruto noticed this first and studied this seal, he knew all about the Hyuga's seal since it wasn't really a secret in Konoha, practically everybody about the Caged Bird Seal.

But the seal on Sai's tongue was a new one, thankfully Naruto had used his clones to study Fuinjutsu before they travelled to the Five Kage Summit, and armed with his recently acquired skills Naruto could tell that the seal on his Sai's tongue was to prevent information leaking out. It was all thanks to the countless hours Naruto and his clones trained in Fuinjutsu, he was by no means a master such as his father or late sensei Jiraiya, but he was quite knowledgeable in the art, and with the help of shadow clones, the time it will take for Naruto to master and progress in Fuinjutsu was cut quite significantly.

After examining the seal further it was already a preconceived notion that Danzo had something to do with all of this, the hints were all there and quite frankly this sounded like something the old warhawk would do.

The silence continued for a few more seconds but then Neji quickly ran up to Sai, he grabbed him by the shirt and forcefully pushed him into the pillars. Naruto, Shikamaru and Sai were all surprised by Neji's sudden actions, the Hyuga prodigy then unleashed his Byakugan as he glared at the ROOT operative.

"Tell me how you got the Caged Bird Seal, and I suggest for you not to lie to me. Tell me how that fucking seal found its way into your forehead" he yelled while fuming with rage, just the sight of the seal brought the darker and angrier side of him.

Naruto walked over to Neji's side and calmly placed a hand on his shoulder, "Neji let him go" he ordered.

Neji shook his head, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama but I need to know why he has that seal" he replied.

"I know Neji, but if we want to let him talk then you need to let him go"

The young Jonin sighed and dropped Sai ungraciously onto the floor, he reluctantly agreed with Naruto and so he walked over to his side with his arms crossed and his Byakugan prepared to see whether or not Sai was telling the truth or lying.

Sai dusted himself off and was forced to stand up a third time, once he was up he looked at the three ninjas and it was clear that they were all anticipating answers from him. Throughout the whole time Shikamaru remained quiet but Sai knew that the Nara was simply studying the situation.

Sai then continued his explanation and he gave them an elaborate and detailed report on how Danzo managed to get his hands on the Caged Bird Seal.

Naruto and his two bodyguards were absolutely surprised by the involvement of the Hyuga Clan's elders, this only served to anger Neji even more. The three realized that once they returned to Konoha they needed to confront this problem in the Hyuga Clan, usually it was frowned upon for the Hokage to interfere with clan matters but in this scenario the Hyuga Clan's elders played a major role in the attack on the Hokage. It was clear that things needed to change in the Hyuga Clan.

Once Sai's explanation was completely finished, Naruto sighed in frustration. Another problem arose in Konoha and it seemed that once a major problem had been dealt with for Naruto another one pops up, it's a never ending cycle. But aside from that Naruto also began to understood Sai's plight, he sympathized with Sai and what he had to go through and he could understand why he had no choice but to act as a double agent for Danzo.

Naruto couldn't put any blame on Sai, if placed in that same situation he wouldn't know what he would have done. He still felt hurt that a friend of his would do such a thing, but after hearing his explanation and his side of the story then the pain he felt softened.

The Hokage sighed and began to massage his temples, he tried of thinking of how he would approach this new problem but after a while he simply decided to think it out some other day. At the moment the summit was his first priority but once he returns to Konoha then the situation with the Hyuga will be his next priority.

Naruto then stared at Sai and he could see that he was sincere in his apology to him, he offered him a handshake and Sai gladly took it, "Don't worry Sai I forgive you" he said in a truthful tone.

Sai smiled and it was clear that an obvious burden had been lifted for him, "Thank you Naruto, you don't know how much that means to me" he replied.

Naruto placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Let's just put this behind us, with the destruction of ROOT and the death of Danzo you can finally have a fresh start away from it all" he said.

"I'd like that"

A foxy grin began to form on Naruto's face, Sai finally had the clean slate he deserved and things were finally resolved for them. After a while Naruto decided it was time for them to meet up with the Kages and finish this disastrous summit meeting once and for all.

The group of four Konoha ninjas walked towards the exit of the large courtyard into the meeting room, as they walked past the summit venue they saw the floor littered with dead bodies from both samurai and ROOT soldiers, the floor was also painted red by the blood of those who died.

Sai was saddened to see all his fellow ROOT operatives' dead, he wasn't particularly close with any of them aside from his brother in all but blood, but Shin had died a long time ago. But just from this sight alone, Sai could tell that ROOT was no more.

Naruto was simply distraught upon seeing the dead bodies littered across the floors, Naruto was being fuelled with determination and perseverance because he never wanted to see a sight like this ever again in his lifetime, but unfortunately with the upcoming war waged by Madara the possibilities of casualties was increased tremendously.

After a few minutes the four arrived in front of the doors for the meeting room, Naruto had ordered Sai to wait outside seeing as how each Kage was only allowed two people to accompany them. Sai understood and sat on a nearby bench to wait for the outcome of the summit, meanwhile Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji entered the meeting room to finally conclude this Five Kage Summit.

The three of them entered the meeting room and they were relieved to see the other Kages and their bodyguards unharmed from their battle with the ROOT soldiers. Naruto made his way to his seat while Neji and Shikamaru stood behind him protectively.

Mifune watched the Hokage finally take his seat, now the meeting could finally commence.

"Well now that everybody is here I suggest we continue where we left off, are there any objections?" he asked to which there was no reply, "I have made a final decision as to who should lead the alliance and I fully stand by my decision. I hope all of you respect and understand why I have chosen this individual to lead the alliance" he continued.

The Five Kages nodded and all have been waiting in anticipation to see who would lead this historic alliance, each of them believed that they were best suited for the position but in the end only Mifune had the final say on the matter.

Mifune glanced around the room to examine the Kages but in the end his eyes landed on Naruto, "I had many factors helping me determine my decision but in the end I've chosen the Hokage to lead this alliance" he declared.

The Five Kages all looked surprised by Mifune's choice, but none more so than Naruto himself. Onoki and A could not believe that Naruto was chosen, after seeing his ability in battle they came to respect him as a Kage despite his age, but for him to now also lead the alliance was baffling. Once again his age was a concern since he was just sixteen years old, he was not yet even an adult. Not only was that concerning but Naruto had just been newly appointed as the Hokage a month ago.

Mei was surprised but not to the extent of the two elder Kages, she didn't expect Mifune to choose the blonde Hokage but she didn't have any problem with Naruto's appointment either. She had seen Naruto's abilities and leadership first-hand, from that she could see Naruto's potential and why he had been chosen.

Gaara felt the same way as Mei, having known Naruto for a long time he was confident that Naruto would find a way to succeed as the leader of the alliance. It was funny how things changed over a course of a few years, it felt like yesterday that Gaara was defeated by Naruto during the Chunin Exams in Konoha and now a few years later they were the Kages of their respective villages. Not only that but Naruto took it one step further and he was now also the leader of the five nations' alliance.

Naruto was simply left speechless, he couldn't utter one word at being chosen as the leader of the alliance. He honestly didn't think he would be chosen, but now Mifune had given him the incredible responsibility of leading the alliance. This appointment in itself simply added more pressure and responsibility to Naruto, he was just getting used to being Hokage and now he had to also lead not only his village but the alliance of the five nations. At this point in time all of this was becoming too overwhelming for Naruto.

"Mifune-sama, surely there are better options than me. I mean I just became Hokage of my village a month ago while the Raikage and Tsuchikage have had their positions for years. Don't get me wrong, I am honoured that you have chosen me but I just don't think I'm ready yet"

Mifune saw the shocked expressions of the Five Kages and sighed, he should have expected such a reaction from them, "Please let me explain my decision first as to why I chose you as the leader of the alliance. I honestly did take everyone into consideration but in the end I saw you as most fitting to lead the alliance" he said before staring at the Raikage.

"Raikage-sama, I decided against you because I believe you are too prone to anger. You showed it earlier during the meeting, your emotions were too quick to cloud your judgement. You also rely too heavily on your strength rather than your words to do the talking" he explained.

A sighed in defeat knowing that Mifune was correct in his judgement, he didn't want to admit it but the elder Samurai was right, his emotions did tend to get influence and alter his decisions too much.

"As for you Tsuchikage-sama, you may have had the most experience and knowledge among the five Kages but your morals have been put into question. You've admitted to have used Akatsuki before and just from that alone I cannot have you lead our fight against the Akatsuki. But aside from that you have been too prideful and overconfident in some regards and this has also clouded your judgement in key moments"

Onoki huffed in frustration, much like the Raikage he could see why he wasn't chosen. He had to admit that he was disappointed but he couldn't really argue with Mifune's logic, he was quite accurate with the description of his flaws and looking back at it he begins to regret having used Akatsuki as mercenaries in the past.

Then Mifune turned to the Mizukage, "I considered you as one of the front-runners for this position. You have proven yourself as a worthy individual to lead us but unfortunately you are stationed in Kirigakure. I do not mean to insult Kirigakure but we just spoke of this earlier today, we all have reason to believe that your village was the previous base of the Akatsuki and that the former Mizukage was even Madara Uchiha himself, you even said this yourself. As you know this poses a risk for us if you are chosen as the leader of our alliance. I hope you understand my decision, although Kiri has been reformed with your revolution, unfortunately it is still likely plagued with the remnants of its former society" he said.

Mei nodded in understanding, she felt somewhat disappointed but she could see why it was risky for her to be chosen as the leader of the alliance. But at the same time she understood Mifune's points and reasons against her, the logic and reasoning for his explanation was more than fair.

Then Mifune's attention landed on both the Kazekage and the Hokage and a smile appeared on his face as he stared at the two young Kages, 'The future looks bright with these two at the helm' he thought to himself. He had confidence in the two young men and he firmly believed that they had what it took to be great.

"I must say, choosing between the two of you was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do, in the end I saw both of you as the prime candidates for this position. I took your ages into consideration at first but in the grand scheme of things they did not affect my decision whatsoever. The both of you have shown leadership qualities ahead of your years, but the two of you have shown those qualities in very different manners"

Both Naruto and Gaara were intrigued by Mifune's statement, they honestly both thought that Mifune would have chosen either Onoki or A because of their seniority and experience in such matters, but in the end it was apparent that age had no effect on Mifune's choice. In fact both were even flattered to learn how highly the old samurai thought of them, they felt proud in the manner they conducted themselves during this very day. The two quickly shook off the thoughts in their head as they listened intently towards Mifune's reasoning and explanation.

"Both Konoha and Suna have led the charge in fighting the Akatsuki, although Suna has a chequered past for their involvement with Orochimaru, I saw it more as a form of trickery from the Snake Sannin. In recent years only Konoha and Suna have stood up against the Akatsuki, while unfortunately Iwa, Kiri and Kumo have been linked with the Akatsuki in one way or another. This also played a part in my final decision but this was not the only reasons I took both of you into serious consideration"

Mifune breathed in a deep breath, he had many reasons as to why the decision boiled down on the two of them but he decided to simply summarize his explanation.

"Kazekage-sama, from what I have seen today I could tell that you are more of a silent leader who leads by example. You have a maturity and poise well above your years and I was very impressed by the manner in which you conducted yourself today. Frankly in my choice between you and the Hokage there was no wrong answer. Either one of you could lead this alliance, but in the end I had to make a choice for only one individual and I saw the Hokage as the best fit for this position"

Naruto glanced at his longtime friend with an apologetic look on his face and the two exchanged nods as a sign of respect. Gaara had no problem in having Naruto lead the alliance, he trusted his friend enough to know that although Naruto may be lacking in certain departments, he knew that Naruto would do his best no matter what. He knew that Mifune had chosen the right man to lead them.

The Hokage then turned all his attention to Mifune, he now awaited for the reasons he was chosen above the Kazekage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage and Raikage.

"Finally my decision ended with you Hokage-sama. When I talked about the Kazekage I mentioned that he led through example, you do the same but you also add another dimension to that. A while ago I studied everybody's actions during our confrontation with Madara. Our morale was shot down by Madara but you lifted us up, you were brave enough to stand up against Madara when no one else would, and you inspired us to fight rather than accept defeat. During your fight with Danzo we also saw your tactical ability, although it was a bit unrefined and a little reckless at times, it is something that can be easily fixed over time. In the end you managed to edge out the Kazekage due to your ability to inspire people, both you and the Kazekage can lead through example but you have a more charismatic approach towards leadership and it can help rally our troops and encourage our soldiers. In times of war sometimes all we need is a little bit of inspiration, especially when things are not going our way. This is why I have chosen you as the leader of the alliance and this is my final decision, nothing can sway me to reconsider any other candidates for this position"

Naruto was left speechless once more, he didn't think that he had the qualities and traits of a true leader, to him his ability to motivate and inspire people came naturally. He had always been like that for as long as he could remember, but now it seemed that those abilities were needed in times like these. He always considered himself a charismatic individual but he never thought it would amount to something like this.

Mifune saw Naruto's stunned expression, "Hokage-sama could you please stand?" he ordered. Naruto nodded and stood up from his seat.

"Hokage-sama, do you accept the position of leader for the Allied Shinobi Forces?"

Naruto's eyes widened fractionally for a second as he realized that it all now came to this, he breathed in deeply and closed his eyes to adopt a contemplative expression, he quickly thought of the pros and cons in his mind. At this point in time he could still barely believe that he was leading his village as the Hokage, and now he was being chosen to lead the five villages to war against a terrorist group. The pressure of being Hokage in itself was insurmountable, and now he had to add the pressure of being the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Naruto felt intimidated by holding such a responsibility, but at the same time a voice in the back of his head told him that this was something he had to do.

Naruto thought back and wondered what his father would have done if he was placed in the same situation, he knew that his father would have manned up and accepted, hell he knew that all the past Hokages would have done the same. Naruto now came to the conclusion that if he wanted to be remembered as Konoha's greatest Hokage he had to do this, if he wanted to achieve and endorse peace then he had to do this, and if he wanted to stop the Akatsuki then he had to do this. Being the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces was not going to be an easy task, but then again Naruto was never known for taking the easy road.

With a steeled resolve, Naruto opened his eyes and stared at Mifune with a fire brightly burning in his eyes. Naruto suddenly stood tall with an air of confidence surrounding him, "I accept" he answered.

Mifune smiled as he quickly saw a new Naruto form right in front of him, he walked over to the Hokage's desk and offered to shake his hands. Naruto smiled in return and firmly shook the samurai's hands, this was symbolic because that handshake in a way represented Mifune's trust in Naruto.

Naruto looked around to see the reactions of the other Kages, from what he could tell both A and Onoki still seemed a bit sceptical about his appointment, this only served to inspire him further, he knew that he managed to gain some of their respect after they witnessed his fight with Sasuke and Danzo but now he needed to gain their full respect and trust. This was something Naruto looked forward to, his career had practically been based around him proving people wrong, and this was no different. The young Hokage was adamant in gaining the full respect and trust of his compatriots.

Once all the commotion was over, everyone returned to their previous stations, the meeting was coming close to an end.

"Now that we have resolved this appointment, are there any other concerns?" Mifune asked.

Surprisingly no Kage spoke but instead it was one of the Raikage's bodyguards, "I'm sorry for this intrusion but there is one matter I believe we must speak about" C declared.

"Very well then, please continue"

C bowed as a sign of respect, "Arigato Mifune-sama. I believe that we must make arrangements to track down Killer B, if the Akatsuki are still targeting the Hachibi and the Kyuubi then it's clear that they will continue to target Killer B".

A nodded in agreement, "Quite! C select a party at once and contact the village for them to begin the search" ordered A.

"Hai Raikage-sama"

"We should also inform Samui and her team, I'm sure the three of those would like to know about all this" advised Darui.

Mifune nodded upon seeing this issue resolved, "Now is there anything else?" he asked.

Mei was the next to raise her arm as everyone's attention directed at her, "I agree with the Raikage's bodyguard, at the moment the Hachibi and Kyuubi are supposed to be are main concerns. In order to prevent Madara's 'Eye of the Moon Plan' we must not allow him to get his hands on the two final Bijuu" she exclaimed.

Naruto glared at the auburn haired Mizukage, he hoped that she wasn't suggesting that he be kept away from the battle, "What are you trying to say Mizukage-sama?" he asked.

"I mean this in no disrespect Hokage-sama but I believe it is in the best interest for the alliance for both you and Bee-san to be hidden away from the Akatsuki. This prevents them from having the opportunity of capturing all nine tailed beasts and using them to revive the Juubi"

"I disagree with you Mizukage-sama, the power of the seven Bijuu currently in Madara's hands is quite simply unimaginable, and knowing him he might even have a trick up his sleeve. For all we know he may have some kind of jutsu or experiment that may make us of them" declared the Tsuchikage.

"I doubt he'd be so confident otherwise" added Onoki's bodyguard, Akatsuchi.

"Exactly, so why don't we use the Hachibi and Kyuubi for our benefit, use them as our weapons to counter the first seven Bijuu"

Naruto was getting annoyed, they were talking about him as if he wasn't even there, and the worse part was how the Tsuchikage was referring to him as a weapon. The Hokage quickly stood up and banged his fist onto his table grabbing all their attention.

"I was just chosen here to lead this alliance and I refuse to go in hiding. The war comes down to me and Bee-san, people will be dying to protect us from the Akatsuki. I refuse to let more people die just for me, I am confident in my ability and I am sure all of you agree that I can hold my own against the Akatsuki. Secondly Bee and I are not weapons, we are our own people and we will not be referred to as weapons again. I can't speak for Bee-san but I for one cannot just stand by and watch people die for me knowing that I could play my part in preventing their deaths"

Mei and Onoki looked at the young man sympathetically, "Look kid I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. All I was saying was that with both you and Bee we stand a better chance of countering the first seven Bijuu. Legend has it that the power of the Kyuubi equated to half of the Juubi, the fox in itself had the power to match all eight tailed beasts before him, this was why he is widely regarded as one of the, if not the most powerful being in the world. Imagine that paired up with the power of the Hachibi then the threat of the first seven tailed beasts will be easily countered" he explained.

Naruto calmed down for a bit and nodded, he knew that the Tsuchikage didn't mean to insult him when he said that, "I'm sorry Tsuchikage-sama but I just hate being referred to as a weapon, it just brings back stuff from my childhood that I would like to forger" he exclaimed.

Onoki nodded respectfully, "Of course, apology accepted" he replied.

"I apologize as well Hokage-sama but I still stand by my suggestion. We respect your role as our leader but you can still lead and have a role in the war. You can serve as a general for us and you can help us make tactical war strategies against our opponents. In this scenario you are heavily involved in the war but just in a role which fully depletes the chances of your capture. If we are to win this war we cannot have Madara revive the Juubi" the Mizukage added.

Before Naruto could reply Mifune addressed the topic, "How about we put this into a vote. The Hokage will not be able to vote seeing as how he is the subject of our vote. Are there any objections?"

Nobody disagreed with Mifune as Naruto sat back down to his seat, now the fate of the war was to be placed on a vote. Naruto prayed to Kami that they vote for him to join the war, he knew that he had a lot to offer in the battlefield and he hoped that the Kages could see that.

"Now for those in agreement with the Hokage please raise your hand"

Only Mifune and Onoki raised their hand, Naruto looked disheartened to see that Gaara had agreed with the Mizukage.

"Gaara?" Naruto asked, while feeling a bit hurt that his friend had chosen against him.

Gaara sighed knowing that this was to be expected from Naruto, "I'm sorry Naruto but I do agree with the Mizukage. Protecting you and Bee-san should be our main priority, you may not agree with me now but I am doing this because I do not want to see you in Akatsuki's hands. You saved me from them before and I do not want you to experience the same thing that happened to me" he explained in a sincere tone.

Naruto couldn't really get mad at Gaara's reasoning, this was just his way of trying to protect him. He knew that Gaara always had his best interests in mind, but this is one of the few instances Naruto had to disagree with his friend.

"For those in agreement with the Mizukage please raise your hand"

This time only Gaara and Mei raised their hands, this left the council surprised because of the fact that the Raikage had not voted on either choice. Naruto and the others had expected the Raikage to vote for Mei's plans because he didn't side with Naruto on the previous vote. This left the vote on a stalemate with two each side, and now they needed A as the tiebreaker.

"Raikage-sama what is the meaning of this? Please tell us your vote, we need to know your views on the matter if we are to make a decision"

"I'm sorry Mifune-sama but I cannot agree with either side at the moment, I see and understand the reasoning of both the Hokage and the Mizukage but I cannot make my vote just yet. I have certain conditions for the Hokage and if he were to accept this condition then he will have my vote"

Naruto was surprised as he saw this as an opportunity for him to participate in the war, "What is this condition of yours Raikage-sama?" he eagerly asked.

A smirked as he saw the anticipation in Naruto's eyes, "If you want my vote Hokage-sama then I will need you to train with my brother first. You see my brother has achieved a powerful form, and that form is only available for Jinchuuriki. My brother is unique in the sense that he managed to befriend the Hachibi and now they work together as a team" he explained as the rest of the council were left in shock by his statement.

Naruto had never even thought of the idea of working with the Kyuubi, during his younger years whenever he used the power of the Kyuubi he has always managed to hurt or scare those close to him. Yes the power may have saved his life in multiple occasions, but it did also lead Haku to her death, and it injured Jiraiya during their training trip. But among all these experiences the one that haunted him the most was when he hurt Sakura during their mission on Tenchi Bridge, she had forgiven her a long time ago but the fact that he hurt the girl he loved still plagued his mind.

But with the way the Raikage described Bee and the Hachibi's relationship, Naruto thought that there may be hope left for him and the fox. Although he shouldn't get his hopes up, having known the fox for a long time he was fully aware of just how stubborn and prideful he could be, in some strange way it reminded him of himself.

"I agree with your proposition Raikage-sama, I will train under Bee-san but I cannot leave immediately. Earlier in our meeting before we were interrupted by the Akatsuki, I informed you all of my battle with Pein. Long story short, Pein's attack on Konoha left my village in a damaged state and we are still in a rebuilding mode. I cannot just leave without resolving that current problem, but while I am here I would like to ask for all of your help. If any of you can send builders or resources to help my village rebuild it will be much appreciated"

The four other Kages nodded and agreed to send help to Konoha, years ago this was inconceivable but this was a sign that the world was changing. The nations were now helping each other rather than fighting with each other.

Naruto felt thankful to his fellow Kages, "Thank you all for this, but aside from I also need to look for someone to step in as Hokage while I'm gone. I am probably going to be gone for a long period of time to train this power, and during that time I need someone I that I could trust to watch over my village while I'm gone".

"Please Raikage-sama contact me once you find Bee-san and I will also contact you once I manage to prepare everything I need before my departure. I will try and finish things as quickly as possible. Is this alright Raikage-sama?"

"Of course Hokage-sama"

"So am I right to presume that you vote for the Hokage, Raikage-sama?" asked Mifune.

A nodded in return, "Hai my vote is for the Hokage to participate in the war" he replied.

Mifune nodded in return and looked around the meeting room one final time, "Now are there any other concerns?" he asked.

This time nobody replied, after a few more seconds Mifune grabbed his gavel and banged it onto his table, "If that is all then I declare this Summit Meeting over" he said.

"Do you have any parting words for us Hokage-sama, before we return to our respective villages?"

Naruto nodded "There is one thing I wish to say Mifune-sama" he replied.

"Go on then Hokage-sama, the floor is all yours"

Naruto looked at all the people in the meeting room, a foxy grin was forming on his face. He was going to make this short, sweet and to the point, "I hereby declare the birth of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the Akatsuki better watch out because they're not going to know what hit them" he declared confidently.

"You got that right" Onoki blurted out.

After a few minutes, the Kages each prepared to leave the summit to return to their respective village. Naruto was talking to both Neji and Shikamaru, he was telling them to prepare because they were leaving soon. While Naruto gave the two a set of instructions the Raikage approached them, Naruto hadn't noticed at first until he heard footsteps approaching.

He turned backwards and saw the Raikage making his way towards them, once the Raikage stood face to face with Naruto he offered Naruto a formal handshake. Naruto graciously accepted it and shook the man's hands, there were no words that needed to be spoken between the two. The handshake alone showed that Naruto had managed to slowly gain the respect and approval of his fellow Kage.

The other Kages took notice of this and decided to do the same, meanwhile A had gathered both C and Darui and they left in a hurry to return to Kumogakure. They had to begin the search for Bee immediately.

The next to approach Naruto was Mei, the auburn haired Kage slowly walked over to Naruto, much like the Raikage she also offered Naruto a hand shake which he accepted.

"Congratulations Hokage-sama, unfortunately I lost in the vote but I hope you can live up to your big words. Please do not have us regret in our decision to have you participate in the war"

Naruto smiled at the female Kage, "Don't worry Mizukage-sama, I can handle myself. I can understand why you would want me to be kept hidden from the Akatsuki, but don't worry I'm strong enough that I can handle myself against those guys" he replied.

"Very well, I will place my trust on you and I have a good feeling I won't be disappointed".

"You won't be disappointed, I promise"

Mei leaned closer to Naruto, "That's good to hear Hokage-sama, it would be such a shame if something bad would happen to such a strong young man such as yourself. Between you and me, I've always had a thing for men like you" she said finishing it with a suggestive wink.

Naruto's whole face was quickly turning red, behind him Shikamaru and Neji also had blushes surrounding their faces but not only that but their mouths were also agape in shock. Naruto couldn't believe the way he acted around this lady, during his time training with Jiraiya, Naruto had practically seen and done it all. But just being around the Mizukage made him feel like a child again.

Mei was proud of the effect she had on the young man, she thought it was cute seeing him like this and so she decided to continue flirting with the blonde Hokage, "Remember if you are ever in Kirigakure do not hesitate to contact me…we can have special meetings you and I".

Naruto gulped and chuckled nervously as he began to stutter out a response, "Hai Mizukage-sama" he replied nervously.

Mei smiled at Naruto, "You don't have to call me Mizukage-sama, please just call me Mei-chan, Naruto-kun" she said as she planted a peck on Naruto's cheek.

Naruto's blush darkened further, "Hai Mei-chan" he stuttered.

"That's better, unfortunately I'm going to have to cut this short but remember if you're ever in town just contact me and I'm sure I can work things out"

Naruto nodded dumbly as the Mizukage walked towards the exit door where her two bodyguards waited, the Hokage looked behind him and was surprised to see Neji and Shikamaru's expressions. It was clear that the two of them stared at Naruto in disbelief.

"Did that just really happen?" asked the lazy Nara.

Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah I guess so" he replied.

"I can't believe it, who would have thought this would ever happen" added Neji.

"What's so hard to believe about that?" Naruto asked feeling slightly insulted.

"How to do I put this lightly Naruto" pondered Shikamaru, "Ah yes, because it's you".

Naruto sweatdropped and stared at Shikamaru, "Wow thanks for putting it lightly Shikamaru" he said in a sarcastic tone.

"No problem"

Before Naruto could think of a witty comeback he was approached by Onoki next, the oldest Kage asked to speak with Naruto privately and he agreed to do so.

Both the Hokage and Tsuchikage walked over to a more private area in the meeting room, once they were away from the prying eyes Onoki also extended another handshake for Naruto, much like the other two Kages.

"I must say congratulations on your appointment first of all"

"Arigato Tsuchikage-sama"

"I know that I may seem a bit sceptical and cynical at times but it all comes with the old age. When I saw you out there today it kind of reminded me of how I used to be, before I lost my way. I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about all this for a while and I've decided to give you and the alliance all of my support"

Naruto smiled brightly, "That's good to hear Tsuchikage-sama, I am grateful for your support" he replied.

"I am confident in your ability to lead us, if you are anything like your father then Mifune chose the right man for the job" he said with an all-knowing smirk on his face.

Naruto's eyes widen in shock as he stared at the Tsuchikage, he knew what he was insinuating as that much was obvious.

"How…how do you know about that?" he asked worriedly.

Onoki chuckled for a second before answering, "Look kid I'm not an idiot. Everything about you screams of the Yondaime, I mean you look exactly like the man himself, if you take off your whiskers then the both of you are practically identical. Not only that but your clothes are similar to his, you have the same techniques as him, you have the same summoning contract as him, and you have the Kyuubi sealed inside of you. I must say if you were trying to hide this then you failed big time kid" he explained.

Naruto's mouth was gaping in shock, "If you know about that then…oh shit"

Onoki shook his head, "You don't have to worry kid, I may hate your father's guts for what he did in the war but I did respect him. The war saw casualties on both sides and he did what he had to do, though I do wish he hadn't, but anyway what I mean to say is there are no hard feelings".

Naruto sighed in relief, "Thank Kami, I wouldn't want my heritage to jeopardize our alliance".

"It won't, trust me"

"That's a relief, but Tsuchikage-sama could you please keep this secret between us. I don't want to reveal this secret just yet"

"Of course, I won't reveal your secret. I could understand why you wanted to keep your heritage a secret but the next time please try and be more inconspicuous, I mean even your haori gives it away. The fact that you also wear a haori with a flame design does not help your cause. I can only wonder how people haven't figured out your relationship to the Yondaime"

Naruto blushed in embarrassment, looking back at it wearing a haori with flame designs probably wasn't the best idea, but Naruto wouldn't change it all because it looked way too cool. He had to admit that he looked much better in his new outfit than he did with his old orange jumpsuit.

"Thanks for keeping this between us Tsuchikage-sama"

"No worries kid, I'm going to leave now but could you promise me one thing?"

"Sure, what do you need me to do?"

"Just lead us to victory kid, make your old man proud"

Naruto smiled and gave Onoki the classic thumbs up, it felt good earning the trust and respect of his fellow Kages, he knew that he still had a lot to prove but he didn't mind going out and proving why he was chosen as the leader of the alliance.

Naruto walked back over to Neji and Shikamaru while Onoki and his two bodyguards exited the summit. As Naruto approached his two bodyguards he noticed them chatting with Sand Siblings, Naruto walked closer and greeted the three once more.

For one final time Naruto shook hands with a Kage, this time it was his longtime friend the Kazekage. Gaara congratulated Naruto on his appointment and apologized for his vote against Naruto, the Hokage had no problem with it because he knew that Gaara was only looking out for him. Soon the group of friends continue to chat and catch up before they had to leave for Konoha and Suna respectively.

* * *

 **With Sakura**

Sakura and her group were running through a thick forest, the pink haired Kunoichi had barely spoken or eaten since their encounter with Naruto, at this point in time she was determined to find Sasuke and confront her old teammate one last time.

It didn't matter to her anymore if she held feelings for Sasuke, it didn't matter if she still saw him as her teammate, it didn't matter how much she wanted things to go back to the way they were. She knew she had to do this, not for her but for Naruto, it was because of her that Naruto felt a pain no mere chakra enhanced punch could replicate. She needed to do this herself, she didn't want Sasuke's blood on Naruto's hands. Sakura was willing to deal with the guilt and remorse of killing Sasuke as long as it stops Naruto from having to feel those emotions.

While the group continued to run in search of the rogue Uchiha, Kiba and Akamaru quickly stopped in their tracks, "I've found Sasuke, and he has two other scents with him too" he said.

Sakura's eyes widened, she approached Kiba and demanded answers from him. Lee also stopped in his tracks, he began to mentally prepare themselves for the upcoming battle. He was aware that a fight with Sasuke was not going to be easy, he had to be at his best if he wanted to win.

"Kiba, where is Sasuke's exact location?" asked Sakura.

"He's straight north, 2 o'clock, roughly about a kilometre away from us" he answered.

"I'm sorry guys" she muttered softly before throwing two grenades on the floor, the eyes of the three shinobi widened in shock but before they could stop her the three grenades exploded and she jumped away at a safe distance before then.

The grenades began to emit smoke and the three of them grew drowsy, their legs grew to be shaky as they all fell on the floor with a thud. The three had fallen asleep and Sakura's plan had worked, her sleep grenades had done their job.

She watched from the top of the trees and apologized one more time to the three boys, but she needed to face Sasuke alone. This was just something she had to do by herself. Once she was assured that all three had fallen asleep she ran towards the direction Kiba had told her, but had she stayed longer to examine the three boys she would have seen Sai's body disappear into a blob of ink.

* * *

 **With Sai**

Sai's eyes widened as the memories came flooding in, he realized that Sakura was going after Sasuke alone. Despite Sasuke's weakened state, he knew full well that he had more than enough power to deal with Sakura. Not only that but Sasuke was also being accompanied by Madara, Sai began to understand just how dire the situation had become because of Sakura's insistence of killing Sasuke herself.

Sai with all his remaining strength ran and barged inside the meeting room earning shocked looks from the Konoha and Suna representatives.

"Naruto we need to go now, Sakura is in trouble" he yelled frantically.

Naruto's eyes widen in fear as he to Sai, "What do you mean she's in trouble? What is she doing now?" he asked fearfully.

"Before I went here I left an ink clone to spy on Sakura to see if she would do anything stupid. It turns out she knocked Kiba, Akamaru, Lee and my clone out with a sleeping grenade and she now plans on facing Sasuke herself. But Madara is also accompanying Sasuke"

Naruto heart sank upon hearing that, he knew that this was practically a suicide mission for Sakura.

"Sai do you know where they are?"

"Hai, Kiba told us before he was knocked out"

"Good, we need to go now before anything happens to her"

Before Naruto could race out of the summit he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him, he looked back and saw that it was Gaara.

"Naruto please let us help, I can use my sand and we could travel much faster on it" he suggested.

Naruto nodded, "Good idea, let's go".

The seven ninjas ran as quick as they could to go back to the entrance of the summit venue, once they were there Gaara summoned his sand and began to use it as a form of transportation. The sand formed into a cloud which flew them towards their destination.

As the sand cloud flew across the sky, Naruto was sitting on it unmoving as he was in his lotus position in hopes of achieving Sage Mode, because if he were to confront Sasuke again but with Madara accompanying him this time then he was going to need as much power as he could manage.

* * *

 **With Sasuke**

Sasuke was patching his wounds with the help of Karin in a stone bridge near the summit venue, Madara on the other hand watched over the two waiting for them to finish so that they could return to their base immediately so that they could regroup with the others.

As minutes passed the group kept silent, but then Madara felt an incoming chakra signature, and a familiar one at that, "Heads up Sasuke, I think we may have visitors" he warned.

Sasuke nodded and stood up, his wounds have been patched up Karin and his chakra has been restored by her as well. He grabbed his katana and unsheathed it as he waited for this so-called visitor of theirs. After a few minutes they saw Sakura arrive from the other end of the bridge.

Sasuke laughed as he saw the third and final teammate of the original Team Seven, "Well Sakura what brings you out to my neck of the woods?".

Sakura was surprised to see Sasuke, she couldn't believe how much he's changed since the last time she saw him; 'He's like a different person. Is this really Sasuke?' she thought to herself.

Behind Sasuke, Karin looked on in confusion wondering who the pink haired girl was, and she wondered why she and Sasuke seemed to know each other.

"You know Sakura its actually funny seeing you right here right now, just a while ago I saw Naruto"

Sakura's eyes widen in fear, "Oh kami tell me you didn't…"

Sasuke chuckled before she could continue, "Relax Sakura I didn't kill him, at least not yet" he replied.

Sakura sighed in relief knowing that Naruto was safe, but after hearing Sasuke's answer she felt a sense of unease. It was clear that Sasuke had changed for the worse, either that or Sasuke had been like this ever since but she was just too blind to see it. She just didn't know anymore, her judgement of Sasuke earlier on in her life was clouded by her infatuation, to her Sasuke was someone who could do no wrong, but looking at him now her opinion has changed tremendously. Just hearing Sasuke's plan on killing Naruto sent a shiver down her spine, maybe she made this perfect image of Sasuke in her head because in truth she hardly knew the real Sasuke. Her childhood crush and infatuation altered her perception of the raven haired boy.

It was all just too confusing for Sakura, she thought that seeing Sasuke would bring back her feelings for the young Uchiha but it didn't. Growing up she obsessed over Sasuke like almost every girl in her class back then, she was madly in love with Sasuke at one point that she was even willing to leave Konoha just to be with Sasuke, as she remembers that part of her life she realized how much of a fool she was when she was younger.

Sakura completely regretted being a fan girl during her childhood seeing as how it had hindered her growth as a ninja, she was lucky to even be alive today, she was thankful that she saw the error of her ways earlier on.

Although she clearly remembers her feelings towards Sasuke, none of those feelings seem to have resurfaced. Sakura wondered what this could mean, Sasuke had been such a major part of her life but it was clear that she just didn't feel the same way she did when she was younger. But it still did hurt her seeing how low Sasuke had fallen.

"So tell me Sakura, why are you here now? Do you want to join me again? Because this time I might not refuse" he yelled in a smug tone.

Sakura steeled her resolve and grabbed the leather gloves in her back pocket before slowly placing them on her hands, "Actually Sasuke-kun I have to refuse, I'm actually here to finally settle the score" she replied in a sickly sweet voice.

"Oho it looks like the cat grew claws, I never thought I'd see the day"

Sakura sneered at Sasuke's mocking remarks, "Don't patronize me Sasuke, I was trained by a Sannin just like you and Naruto, I am by no means the same girl you knew from before" she yelled.

Sasuke smirked as he saw the resolve in her eyes, "Oh this is going to be good" he mumbled to himself.

* * *

 **Author's Notice**

Well here is Chapter 8 done and dusted, for those who saw the NaruMei scene well i just kinda felt like putting that there just because i'm a bit of a NaruMei fan, but this story will still be solely NaruSaku. I just like putting snippets of other pairings every now and again. And now that the Summit is practically over, the next few chapters will begin to delve around the NaruSaku relationship. And that's pretty much it, as usual please favorite, follow and/or comment in my story. Any form of constructive criticism is welcome here. I will also try to update soon, probably within a week i will upload chapter 9 if all goes well. But i hope you all enjoyed chapter 8.


	9. Sasuke vs Sakura

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I probably never will…unfortunately**

 **Author's Notice: Here is Chapter 9 everybody, I told all of you that I planned on updating on a much more regular basis and here it is. I hope you all like this chapter, honestly this was a bit difficult to write. Hopefully though I could get Chapter 10 roughly within a week or less. From now on the NaruSaku relationship will begin to develop and I hope you guys are looking forward to it, but I've been getting messages and comments about the pairing asking to change it, I'm sorry to those who commented but I cannot change the pairing. As I said this is just my favorite pairing so it kind of makes sense for me to write stories with this pairing as a part of it. Other than that though I hope you guys still continue reading and following my story even if you might not be big fans of the pairings.**

 **Also another topic I want to talk about to all of you are my future stories and the vote you guys had on the poll. I stated a few chapters ago that the winners were God of Shinobi (Naruto and Sandaime Parallel), Yondaime's Legacy (Naruto and Minato Parallel) and Child of Prophecy (Rinnegan Naruto), with those three coming in first, second and third respectively. Anyway, about these three stories I have a question to ask you guys.**

 **My question is about the God of Shinobi, I'm currently working on the plan and I want to ask you all if I should make this story a harem. If I did make this story a harem then I plan on adding the Konoha girls mainly and a few others, pretty much Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Tenten along with a few more. But if you guys don't want that then it's all goods, I'll just make it NaruSaku again or maybe something small like NaruSakuInoTen. Not really a major harem or anything.**

 **Also while were in the topic of pairings if you guys have any ideas about the pairings you want for the Child of Prophecy story then just tell me as well, this story will definitely be a harem and I want to know who you guys all want before I write the story. I want all the feedback you guys could give me so that I know what to write for you guys.**

 **Finally please favorite, follow and/or comment on my story. If any of you guys have any questions or constructive feedback for my stories do not hesitate to pm me or comment on my stories, all of them are welcome for this story. Also for your opinions on my future stories just leave a comment or message as well, thanks everyone for the continuing support I am extremely thankful for my loyal and readers.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Sasuke vs Sakura**

"Prepare yourself Sakura, I won't take it easy on you anymore, and this time you won't have the idiot to save you" jeered Sasuke.

"I told you not to underestimate me Sasuke, I'm not the Godaime's Apprentice for nothing"

Sasuke chuckled darkly, "You talk big Sakura, but I doubt you can match it. Deep down inside I can tell that you're scared, this is the first time you will be fighting alone. You won't have me, Kakashi or Naruto by your side, Sakura deep down inside you're just the same old fan girl I left at the gates of Konoha" he taunted.

Sakura grit her teeth in anger and scowled at the insults being hurled at her, "Don't act like you know me Sasuke, you know nothing about me or Team seven you selfish snake".

"All this talk is getting boring Sakura"

"I agree, care to begin?"

"I thought you'd never ask, **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu** " he yelled.

Sakura remained calm at the sight of the incoming fireball, "typical" she muttered while rolling her eyes. The fireball flew at her, she focused chakra into her fist and punched the ground in front of her, and the collision brought forth a stone wall from the bridge.

The stone wall Sakura created with her strength blocked and neutralized the Uchiha's famous fire technique. Once the fire was gone Sakura flicked the wall causing it to crumble back to the ground.

"Hmm impressive, I never thought I'd see the day you'd ever actually take the time to train yourself"

Sakura sneered at Sasuke's remarks, "I told you Sasuke, do not underestimate the Godaime's Apprentice" she replied.

Sakura jumped from her position and cocked her fist back, she then aimed to punch the area Sasuke stood, "Shannaro" she yelled as a battle cry.

Sasuke had too much time to anticipate this and before Sakura's punch could connect he jumped back to avoid being the area of effect.

Sakura cursed as she saw Sasuke jump away, she couldn't stop just now and so her fist punched the ground causing a massive crater to appear on the area.

Near the area, hiding behind one of the pillars was Karin. The redhead's eyes widened as she saw the strength of Sakura, the damage she left with one punch alone can only make her shiver in fear of the pink haired Kunoichi. But as she watched her interaction with Sasuke, she also couldn't help but feel slight jealousy of how close she apparently was to Sasuke, before he left Konoha.

Madara on the other hand simply watched from a distance, he sat on the exact opposite side of the bridge simply examining the fight between the two former teammates, this was an excellent chance for him to examine and gauge Sasuke's abilities since he was unable to do so earlier in the summit.

Sakura ran to Sasuke preparing to engage him in a taijutsu battle, Sasuke knew what she had in mind and he was smart enough to know that he had to avoid her punches at all costs.

Sakura boosted her speed with her chakra, she quickly appeared in front of Sasuke and prepared to attack him. Luckily for Sasuke his Sharingan anticipated her attack and so he ducked out of the way, Sakura then came in with an onslaught of punches but Sasuke continually managed to dodge and weave his way through them.

Growing impatient she decided to increase the range of her attack, she stopped trying to punch Sasuke leaving the Uchiha slightly confused.

His eyes widen as he began to notice chakra surrounding both of Sakura's hands, they took the form of small sharp blades. Sasuke was more than familiar with this technique seeing as how it was regularly used by Kabuto as well, and during his stay with Orochimaru, Kabuto was usually his sparring partner in many occasions.

" **Chakura no Mesu** " said Sakura as she ran towards Sasuke wildly swinging both hands in hopes of them connecting with her opponent. With the range of her jutsu improved, Sasuke could no longer manage to dodge attack sent his way.

Sasuke was panting as he continually tried to run away from Sakura's **Chakura no Mesu** , his body suffered various cuts and wounds from her attacks but he was luckily able to dodge the fatal attacks. He would rather take the various cut wounds than a single vital stab wound from Sakura.

Sasuke was losing his patience, he was supposed to be the stronger of the two and now he had to go and prove it, he quickly used his **Chidori Nagashi** to surround himself with lightning and give himself some breathing room, Sakura felt the incoming lightning and before she could have been electrocuted by the lightning she jumped away to a safe distance as planned by Sasuke.

Now that Sasuke managed to get the breathing room he needed to commence his own attack he began to flare his chakra as a form of intimidation, "I must say you certainly have improved over the years Sakura, but it is still not enough for you to even challenge me" yelled Sasuke.

Sakura watched in fear as her former teammate began to muster large amounts of chakra, the ground around them trembled as a purple humanoid armor began to surround Sasuke. The armor that Sasuke summoned was the second stage of his Susanoo, it was the exact same form he used to fight Danzo earlier that day.

Sasuke was thankfully that he had time to heal and rest up after their attack on the summit, because had he not had that small break he would have been incapable of using techniques such as this. Karin also helped in that regard with the use of her blood helping to heal his wounds and restore his chakra.

"I'll give you one last chance Sakura, leave now or face your death" warned the Uchiha.

Sakura hated to admit it but she was scared, she knew that Sasuke would have improved during his time away from Konoha but this was just ridiculous. She thought that she could have taken him on with the new techniques she learned from Tsunade but every time she thinks she is catching up with either Naruto or Sasuke they always seem to get farther and farther. Naruto was the Hokage and Sasuke is considered an S-Rank missing-nin while she was still just a measly Chunin. This spoke volumes of the difference in their level of power.

But despite the fear and reluctance she began to feel, she knew that she could not stop and run away now. This was not only a matter of pride but also of repentance. If she really wanted to be worthy of Naruto's forgiveness then she had to do this, with all the pain she made Naruto endure over the years, this was the only way she could make it up to him. She had to end the source of his suffering, she had to prevent Naruto from feeling the guilt and remorse of being his best friend's killer, she had to do as much as she can to preserve as much of Naruto's innocence as possible.

Steeling her resolve she stared at the eyes of the boy she once loved, "I'm afraid I cannot do that Sasuke. I told you I was here to settle the score and I plan on doing just that" she replied confidently.

"Hn, so be it, but don't say I didn't warn you"

Sasuke with his Susanoo prepared his large bow and arrow, he quickly aimed it at Sakura and fired it at the pink haired Kunoichi. Sakura once again used her Chakra Enhanced Strength to punch a wall out of the ground to protect her.

The wall appeared just in time to prevent the large arrow from attacking Sakura, once the arrow was neutralized Sakura brought out two smoke grenades from her pocket and dropped them to the ground. The smoke from the two grenades limited Sasuke's vision for a moment but then he saw Sakura jump into the air from the cloud of smoke she created.

While Sakura was in the air she pumped large amounts of chakra into her legs as she descended towards Sasuke's Susanoo, the purple exoskeletal armor brought out his chakra shield to block Sakura's attack.

The pink haired Kunoichi prepared her leg for a powerful axe kick, once she was in striking distance she forcefully brought down her leg on Sasuke's chakra shield, " **Tsūtenkyaku** " she yelled.

The collision of both forces caused cracks to begin to form around the Susanoo's shield, Sasuke's widen in shock at the power of Sakura's kick. Sakura on the other hand had a smug grin adorning her face, this just showed both her and Sasuke that she could handle herself just fine.

Before the shield could ultimately collapse Sasuke pushed Sakura away from him, Sakura braced herself as she ungracefully tumbled to the ground.

The shield then disintegrated from the force and strength of Sakura's attack but it was no problem for Sasuke, the shield itself was made of chakra and so Sasuke could easily form another one, but he was greatly surprised over the fact that Sakura had the strength to damage let alone break his shield, it was supposed to be as strong and sturdy as his Susanoo armor.

Sakura watched on with a triumphant grin on her face, though she knew that she needed more than this to end up as the victor just seeing the disbelief in Sasuke's face gave her some confidence in her ability. Maybe just maybe she might have a solid chance of pulling this off, and for that to happen she needed to turn things to her advantage and she had to exploit Sasuke's weaknesses, and knowing Sasuke his main weakness was obviously his ego. She knew full well that he hated being looked at in an inferior manner, and Sakura decided to use this to her advantage.

This time it was Sakura's turn to laugh, Sasuke looked on curiously wondering if there was something wrong with the girl and why she was suddenly laughing especially at a time like this.

Sasuke glared at Sakura examining her, "Why are you laughing? What's so funny?" he yelled in a demanding tone.

"I'm laughing at the irony of it all Sasuke, the whole situation in itself is ironic to say the least" she replied.

"What's ironic about all of this?"

"I'm not talking about this Sasuke, I'm talking about Team Seven and how ironic things have become with you and Naruto"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's funny because when I look back at it, when we were kids everyone treated you as royalty, hell everyone thought you were destined to become the future Hokage of Konoha. You were being prepared for that positon ever since the massacre happened, Konoha saw you as a hero and the people even worshipped the ground you stepped on, with me included unfortunately"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in intrigue, "Yeah and what of it?" he pondered.

"What I'm saying is that you had everything a person could want, yes we all felt sorry for you losing your family but the people of Konoha did everything they can to help you. During our years in the academy and as genin, everyone saw you as a prodigy, a genius even. People spoke about how great you would one day become, you were a legend in the making" she continued.

Sasuke began to smile as his ego was being inflating by Sakura's words, yes all of it was true. He was considered a genius and a prodigy when he was young, people talked about him in the same breath as Orochimaru, Itachi and even Kakashi, well expect for the betrayal part by the first two names. During his childhood he was given free material and equipment by shops, he was given free lessons by other ninjas in hopes of having him fulfill his potential.

"You could have had anything Sasuke, all you needed to do was ask and people would have given. But despite all of that it was never enough for you, vengeance was always in your mind Sasuke and it changed you, it destroyed you. The people of Konoha worshipped you and all you did to pay them back was to stab them in the back, your used to say you were nothing like your brother but seeing you now shows me that you are nothing but a traitor just like that traitor brother of yours"

Sasuke clenches his fists as hard as can, "Shut up Sakura, you will not speak of me or my brother that way. You do not even have the right to say Itachi's name you bitch. It is you who is blind, you don't know what kind of village Konoha really is behind closed doors. You're showing me that you're still the same delusional and stupid girl as you were when we were genin" he furiously yelled.

Sakura was taken aback for a second by Sasuke's reply, she hadn't expected for Sasuke to defend his brother, but on the bright side it looked like plan was working. She needed to keep this up because once Sasuke gets too angry during a fight, he becomes prone to making mistakes. This will prove to be an advantage for Sakura, but she made sure not to rile him up too much since it may just strengthen him as well, and fighting a berserk Sasuke was never really a good thing.

Sasuke began to exude a darker aura, the insults Sakura were throwing did not help in trying to calm himself down. Hearing Sakura's insults he couldn't help but remember about his time as an official citizen and ninja of the village, Konoha's people and the village itself did worship him, but behind the scenes it was a different story. The Hokage and those elders betrayed him and his clan, for this he needed revenge for everything they did to Itachi and the rest of his clan. It was all despicable in his eyes, yes at first sight Konoha did seem like a nice and warm place, but behind all that was a darker interior for the village. Much like most villages, Konoha does also have its own darker side, and this side of Konoha cost Sasuke his whole family.

Just remembering the loss he suffered at the hands of the village caused Sasuke's chakra to flare uncontrollably, his emotions were getting the better of him and he was having problems controlling himself. The memories came flooding in, and they weren't pleasant. He quickly began to remember all the things that damned village had done to his clan. All of this made him despise Konoha more and more.

It wasn't even just the Uchiha Massacre, though it did play a major part in his decision to destroy Konoha. For years his clan has been undermined by the village and its Hokage, Madara himself told him of the stories about the Uchiha Clan during his time. The village has undermined his clan for decades, there have been many instances that an Uchiha should have been named Hokage but they always bypassed them in favor of others. It was clear to Sasuke that his clan has been mistreated by that village for years, and now was the time to finally put an end to all of this and he wanted to do nothing more but to have Konoha suffer as they made his clan suffer.

In Sasuke's mind, his clan was right to rebel against Konoha's government, and as much as he loved Itachi for everything he did for him, he believed he was in the wrong. Itachi was an Uchiha first and foremost and he should have joined the side of his family over the village, Itachi was a genius but in a small sense he was also a fool for siding with the village. He does all he can to protect the village and yet he is treated as an outcast and a criminal, the village was unworthy of him. All of this showed Sasuke that he needed to do something to stop and avenge the injustice done to his clan.

"What do are you talking about? Konoha has done nothing but support you over the years, you are the delusional one Sasuke. Your thirst for vengeance has deprived you of your judgement, Sasuke"

Sasuke shook his head disapprovingly, "I will not indulge you of this knowledge Sakura; it is clear to me that you will not listen to reason or the truth. I will not waste my time any longer, prepare yourself Sakura" he replied as he weaved through hand seals.

As Sasuke performed hand seals his Susanoo replicated it, " **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu** " he yelled causing his Susanoo form to unleash a larger version of his fireball.

"Shit" cursed Sakura, she pumped more chakra into her legs and jumped up in the air once more to dodge the attack; after the attack had gone by she saw Sasuke preparing another set of hand seals for a new jutsu. She rushed at him hoping to catch him off guard seeing as how his hands were trying to perform a new technique.

She lunged at the purple chakra armor and cocked her fist back preparing to strike the Susanoo, " **Ōkashō** " she screamed as she punched the Susanoo as hard as she could. The armor began to flicker but it still remained standing, Sakura saw this and realized she needed to do more if she wanted to fully destroy the Susanoo.

'Dammit, that thing is still standing. It seems I need to go all out to break that thing, this might be risky but to hell with it' she silently thought to herself.

Sakura closed her eyes and focused the all her chakra onto the legendary seal on her forehead, the seal known as **Byakugō no in** which was placed by Tsunade herself. This seal was given to Sakura only for emergencies, and this was an emergency if she ever saw one.

She was fully aware of the positives and negatives of this technique, she knew that if she used the **Byakugō no in** then her power and physical abilities were going to be strengthened significantly. But the problem was that at the moment her current power level could only handle five minutes with the seal, and once the seal was depleted then she was going to be left in a severely weakened state. Another major negative effect the seal had was that if overused then it could harm her lifespan, the usage of the healing properties of the seal would lead to her losing years of her lifespan, but it will leave her immortal for the duration of the technique.

Sakura really only had a few minutes with this technique and she needed to make it all worth it, she knew that there were other Akatsuki members in the perimeter but all she had to focus solely on Sasuke. If she could kill him here and now, then she could save Naruto the trouble and burden of killing Sasuke himself, and in her eyes even if that meant being killed by the rest of Akatsuki soon after, she would die happy knowing she did her part in protecting not only Konoha but the world. To her the life of an Akatsuki member for her own life seemed like a fair deal, Naruto has sacrificed so much just for her and this time it was her turn to sacrifice for him.

A powerful aura began to surround Sakura as this time it was her chakra that began to flare, it was far from the power that Naruto and Sasuke held but it was intimidating in its own right.

Sakura screamed as she infused herself with the power of her seal, " **Infūin: Kai** " she released all the chakra she stored in her **Byakugō no in** and then the seal began to expand around her forehead. The seal began to glow and spread around Sakura's body, it somewhat resembled strange clan tattoos but despite the strange markings, Sasuke could feel the power resonating from the pink haired Kunoichi and the levels of power made him fear what was to come. One thing was for sure, Sasuke had to take the fight seriously from now on.

As the sudden surge of chakra empowered Sakura, she weaved through hand seals before she bit the edge of her thumb, " **Kuchiyose no Jutsu** " yelled the proud Kunoichi of Team Seven.

A massive cloud of smoke erupted once again limiting Sasuke's vision, as the cloud began to slowly ebb away Sasuke saw Sakura with her arms crossed standing triumphantly on the head of a gigantic slug.

The slug was the boss summon for that certain animal, the legendary Katsuyu, the personal summon of Lady Tsunade. The slug summon was one of the most powerful summons out there, it was practically on par with Gamabunta of the toads and Manda of the Snakes, the combination of those three made the Sannin as famous as they were, and now it seems their disciples have managed to replicate their success with summons.

Sasuke wanted to fight her with his own summon but he knew that he couldn't use that much chakra anymore, during his rest and recovery time in the bridge he did manage to regain some of his strength and chakra but not all of it. That meant that with his current level of chakra, it was more costly then beneficial for him to summon Aoda, at the moment the only way he could fight off Sakura was using his Susanoo. He was confident that his exoskeletal armor could take on the slug with ease.

In the background however, Karin continued to watch in awe at the battle before her. First she witnessed Naruto's battle with Sasuke and now this, she was quick to learn one thing from watching the Sasuke's old teammates fight; they were certainly much stronger than Sasuke gave them credit for. The sight was amazing, she couldn't believe that ninjas their age had the power to summon such large summons, she had to give credit to the three Sannin they were certainly great teachers.

"Oh my, you've managed to summon me already Sakura-chan. This is the first time, I'm sure Tsunade-sama would be proud of you" said Katsuyu.

Sakura blushed in embarrassment, "Thank you Katsuyu-sama but we have a problem in our hands, I'm going to need your help this time" she replied.

Katsuyu examined the area in which she was summoned and her eyes laid at the Uchiha in front of her and the Susanoo armor covering him, "I see, don't worry Sakura I'll do my best" she told her.

Sakura nodded and smiled while standing on the slug summon's head, "I know you will Katsuyu-sama, now let's go and kick some ass" she yelled brimming with confidence.

The slug summon nodded in reply and attempted to ram herself at the exoskeletal armor, Sasuke and his Susanoo braced themselves with their newly formed chakra shield, the shield took the brunt of the hit and once they absorbed the force from the ramming attack the Susanoo used the shield this time to push them away.

Katsuyu and Sakura slid away as a result of the push, while they were pushed back a bit by the purple armor, Katsuyu then used her **Zesshi Nensan** and spat out highly acidic toxic paste at the purple armor.

Sasuke was caught off guard by the attack, there were no warning signs that the slug was about to spit out acid, it was out of the blue. Without any possibility of defending against the attack, the acid landed on its target and it began to fractionally melt the armor.

Sasuke cursed underneath his breath as he noticed the weakening state of his Susanoo, luckily for him the armor still stood but if he continued to take shots like this then he wouldn't be able to last that long.

For his counterattack Sasuke's Susanoo began to mold their chakra into Magatama beads held by a single chakra thread, the jutsu was known as the **Yasaka no Magatama** and it was attack only available to those already in their Susanoo form; he threw several of those projectiles at the gigantic slug hoping that it could get them distracted.

Katsuyu simply used **Zesshi Nensan** once more to evaporate the incoming Magatama from Sasuke's Susanoo. But once the Magatama beads were destroyed, Katsuyu looked on in surprise as suddenly a large arrow made of chakra flew her way, she realized that the previous attack was only a distraction to give him an opening.

With no time to block the attack she used her personal technique the **Katsuyu Daibunretsu** to divide herself into numerous smaller versions of herself effectively dodging the aforementioned strike by Sasuke. Once the attack flew by the numerous smaller versions of Katsuyu regrouped together to once again form her whole self.

Sasuke was surprised by the versatility of the slug, he had expected for the slug summon to be mostly of use in healing situations but just here he saw seeing the summon's ability in combat situations. It may not have been as destructive as the snakes or the toads, but they were certainly formidable in their own right, in fact they were probably craftier than his or Naruto's summons.

Sasuke knew that to win this fight he needed to dispel the slug, and at this point in time he needed to use his strongest jutsu once more. He had used it multiple times during his attack on the summit, and now he was in need of it once more. Sasuke dispelled his Susanoo, he needed mobility if he were to prepare this jutsu.

Sakura watched with a large smile on her face seeing Sasuke lose the Susanoo, things were now to her advantage, or so she thought.

" **Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu"**

Sasuke sent forth pillars of fire in the shape of dragon heads to appear from the ground, they line of pillars were heading towards Katsuyu, the slug breathed in deeply before blowing gusts of wind to exterminate the flames.

The fire was killed but then instead it formed black smoke which flew to the sky, Sasuke noticed this and smiled seeing his plan tactics come to fruition.

" **Zesshi Nensan"**

Katsuyu sent another blob of acid at Sasuke's direction, the Uchiha used his **Amaterasu** and summoned black flames to burn off the acid before it could reach him. Luckily for him the black flames contributed to more smoke as it collided with the acid.

Sakura had a smug grin plastered on her face as she watched Sasuke seemingly at a disadvantage, she believed that things were now going her way and if she continued what she was going then she was going to win this fight. But right now in order to end it she needed Sasuke to make a mistake, sometimes the difference between life and death during battle was a simple mistake or blunder.

However, she was unfortunate in that sense because Sasuke was usually a calm and composed individual during battle, he was not prone to making many mistakes. But she knew that if she continued to mock and taunt Sasuke as she did earlier, then his ego and patience might get in the way of his decision making. This was risky since this tactic might backfire on her, usually when someone is enraged during battle they tend to take a more offensive and attack based style of fighting, this meant two things.

One, the fighting style might be too aggressive that it leaves holes in their defense which opponents could take advantage off. But on the other hand in some cases the aggressive style of fighting has also made opponents more formidable. Sakura knew this was the only way she could defeat Sasuke now, and she prayed to kami that he fell into the category of the former rather than the latter.

Sasuke also examined Sakura and his surroundings as he made hypothetical plans in his mind, within a matter of seconds he found his ideal way of dealing with this particular fight. Sasuke grabbed two smoke bombs as Sakura did earlier, he threw them onto the ground limiting the vision within his general area. Once the smoke blinded Sakura's vision, Sasuke vanished quickly and hid behind the pillars around the bridge.

The smoke cleared and Sakura looked only to find no trace of Sasuke, seeing this she decided to try and lure Sasuke out by making him angry, "I never thought you'd come to these tactics Sasuke. The old Sasuke I knew would have never ran away from a fight, let alone a fight against me. Oh how far the mighty have fallen" she said in a dramatic tone.

Behind one of the pillars Sasuke hid with a scowl on his face, 'Just wait Sakura and you'll get what coming for you' he thought to himself as he waited for an opportune time to strike.

"You know Sasuke I just thought of something just now, I was thinking about you and Naruto and how different both of you were a few years ago" she yelled out.

Sasuke continued to hide behind the pillars but also listened intently to what she had to say, while she spoke he began to wait for his clouds to form. Despite Katsuyu extinguishing most of the flames from his attacks, the fire jutsus did their job as they sent enough smoke towards the clouds. Most of the smoke came from his **Amaterasu** , the flame refused to die out until Sasuke ordered it to stop, and so instead it continued to burn and form smoke.

Now all Sasuke needed to do was wait for his attack to be ready and then he could strike Sakura and her summon down; for now he was going to allow Sakura to continue to talk since she was just unknowingly stalling time for his attack.

"I remembered how things used to be in Konoha, you were the genius back then and everyone knew Naruto as the dobe, the dead last, the loser, the reject and even as the demon brat while you were treated like a prince in Konoha. But looking back it now it makes me laugh because everything Konoha wanted you to be, Naruto became. We talked about this earlier, the village wanted you to become the future Hokage, they wanted you to lead the village in the future, they saw you a generational genius who was going to surpass all the previous Hokages and you had all the potential in the world" she said as Sasuke continued to listen intently.

"Naruto on the other hand was treated like shit for years by everyone, including me. But he managed to overcome that hate and he surpassed his potential; while people saw you as becoming a future Hokage they saw Naruto becoming a monster or a demon in his future, Naruto had no real potential in the eyes of the people. And it's funny because despite how much people worshipped you and ridiculed Naruto, in the end it was him who became the Hokage and the person everyone wanted you to become, while it was you who ended up becoming everything they thought Naruto would become. You became the monster, you failed to live up to the potential people saw in you, and the roles have changed between you and Naruto. He became the hero and the leader of Konoha while you became nothing but a loser, you are the real dead last Sasuke" she shouted angrily, her emotions were also getting to her as she recalled Naruto's horrid childhood and her regrettable part in it.

Sasuke breathed in and out to calm his seething anger, the medic-nin's insults were now getting to him. It took everything in him not to rush in and attack her for her insults, he knew it was all a part of her plan but he could barely stand it being insulted in such a way. He hated being seen as inferior, but and right now she was making him look and feel inferior with her comparison between him and Naruto. In the back of his mind he knew she had a point, but he would rather die than admit that.

The young Uchiha glanced up at the sky and smiled darkly as he saw his plans coming to fruition, now was his time to strike. Sasuke quickly jumped back into the middle of the bridge facing Sakura, as he jumped there another blob of acid was sent his way.

Amaterasu was used once more to stop the incoming blob of thick concentrated acid, he then unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Katsuyu and Sakura.

Sakura was watching his sudden movements wondering what he had stored, she suddenly had to look up into the sky once he noticed the clouds suddenly darkening. Lightning began to crackle in the sky and her eyes widen in fear knowing that Sasuke had something to do with this, and looking back at the young Uchiha the mad grin on his face was a clear giveaway.

'Shit I may have went too far, he seems pissed' she thought to herself.

"Katsuyu I think he may be up to something big" Sakura muttered.

Katsuyu gulped, "I think so too" she replied.

From the sky lightning began to take the form of a dragon as it flew down to hit Katsuyu and Sakura, " **Kirin** " yelled Sasuke. The slug and her summoner had no time to react and within a matter of seconds the lightning dragon fell from the sky and hit both Sakura and Katsuyu.

Luckily for Sakura she unleashed her **Sōzō Saisei** just in time, Sakura had just barely enough chakra to use this jutsu and she could only maintain it for a few seconds. She was put in a dire situation and she was desperate to survive the attack. Her summoning of Katsuyu left her with barely any chakra left but her **Sōzō Saisei** gave her body the ability to hasten the ability to create new cells in her body thus allowing her to regenerate from any damage sustained on her body no matter the severity. This made her immortal for as long as long she had chakra to sustain this form. But unfortunately for her she only had enough chakra to hold this form for a few seconds, just enough to absorb and heal herself after Sasuke's incoming attack.

As the jutsu passed she was left in astonishment. She had honestly not expected a jutsu of this power from Sasuke, this attack was on par with Naruto's Rasenshuriken. She cursed herself, it seems that her plan didn't work, instead it backfired on her. She expected Sasuke to make a costly mistake but clearly it did not work, apparently Sasuke learned to control his emotions during his time away from Konoha.

Though her plan backfiring was not the only bad thing to happen to her just now, things just went from bad to worse because the technique she just used had shortened her lifespan, this was the sole negative drawback of using **Sōzō Saisei**. But at the same time had she not used that power then she would have perished on the spot, at least using this gave her a small chance of survival, it was much better than having a hundred percent chance of dying.

While Sakura was left relatively unharmed by the attack, the same thing could not be said about Katsuyu, her slug summon howled in pain and unceremoniously dropped to the ground violently shaking, Sakura's eyes widen in fear as she saw the state of Katsuyu. She ran as quick as she can towards the slug's face, "Katsuyu are you alright, please be alright" she pleaded worriedly.

"Sakura-san do not fear I'm alright, but I could barely move. I'm sorry but I cannot offer any more help for you, I must return to Shikkotsu Forest. I wish you good luck Sakura, please take care" she said softly before vanishing via a plume of smoke.

Sakura sighed in relief knowing that the slug was fine, she looked back at Sasuke and saw the shit-eating grin he wore. She wanted nothing more but to wipe it off his face, feeling anger well up inside of her for what he did. At this point in time Sakura's **Byakugō no in** began to fade away as she spent the last of her chakra to use the power known as **Sōzō Saisei** , though it left her with no chakra left it at least saved her life.

'Fuck, it goes down to this. I can't believe this is actually happening. I have to take my last stand' she thought to herself.

She slowly reached into her back pouch for her last resort, she grabbed a kunai she laced with a poison she herself concocted. This was her last chance of killing Sasuke, and if she were to fail this then she was more likely to die rather than Sasuke.

Sakura began to tremble in fear inwardly, she refused to show it exteriorly but a part of her felt that her luck was running out. At the moment chances of survival were slim for Sakura, things were looking blurry for the pink haired girl. But she had no other choice.

With the kunai at her hand she stared Sasuke down, after both former teammates sized each other up, Sakura yelled out a battle cry as she ran at Sasuke with the kunai held tight.

Sasuke held his katana and ran at Sakura, both blades met causing sparks, Sasuke suddenly pushed his katana forcefully causing Sakura to lose her footing and begin to stumble. Seeing this as an opportunity, Sasuke ran up and punched her in the gut before kicking Sakura's shin.

Sakura was once again left unbalanced by the sudden strike, Sasuke then continued with a fierce uppercut to her jaw. The pink haired Kunoichi coughed out blood and fell to one knee.

Sasuke strode to the front of the injured medic-nin, he was smiling at his accomplishments. He managed to defeat Sakura, though it was more challenging than he would have ever thought.

Before Sasuke could do anything, Sakura jumped up and tried to attack him with a surprise attack. She tried to slice Sasuke's neck with her poisoned kunai but just as the kunai closed in on the Uchiha's neck, Sasuke managed to intercept the attack with his Sharingan.

He caught Sakura's wrist, it stopped just an inch away from his skin. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at Sakura's futile attempt, she was close but he was always two steps ahead of her. He squeezed his hand causing Sakura to drop the kunai, the pain she felt on her wrist was unbearable.

Sakura yelped in pain, Sasuke noticed this and backhanded her. Sakura was hit and she stumbled towards the bridge's railings. Through the corner of her eye she saw the river below the bridge, this might be her chance of escaping.

She looked at Sasuke and saw him lean down and examine the kunai, she saw this as an opportune time to try and escape. With the remainder of her strength she jumped up into the railings then dived onto the river.

Sasuke was preoccupied with the kunai until he heard Karin scream, "Sasuke-kun she's getting away" she yelled while pointing at the spot she jumped from. Sasuke looked on and notice that she was no longer there, grabbing the kunai he ran and jumped out of the bridge.

He fell on his feet as he stood on the water, just in front of him he saw Sakura struggling to limp away from the bridge. Sasuke vanished and reappeared in front of Sakura.

"Boo" he taunted, but before she could react Sasuke grabbed her by the neck with his left hand and lifted her into the air.

"Not so tough are you Sakura. Even after all your talk here you are, humbled and defeated by yours truly" the Uchiha said in a condescending tone, "But it doesn't have to be this way Sakura, seeing you just now impressed me, and I've decided to give you a once in a lifetime offer. This is your one and only chance of accepting" he continued.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you'll ever impress in anything, and yet here you are. I must say I am quite surprised, as much as I hate to admit it, you've improved since the last time we saw each other. As you know Sakura one of my dreams was aside from killing my brother was to revive my clan, and now I want you to be one of the women that will sire my future children. As I recall you would've killed to be my wife, and plus I'll even spare you if you agree. Sakura you will live, and you will have the honor of being the mother of the next generation of Uchiha babies".

"I want my heirs to be strong and powerful and I think you here proved today just how strong you can be, you have abilities and skills that I want future generations of Uchiha to have. Just you fight really changed my mind, I'm willing to even forget all the insults you threw my way and the fact you tried to kill me. In act you should be honored I'm even giving you this offer, you should feel honored I'm considering you for such a prestigious responsibility. So tell me Sakura, are you up for it?" he asked confidently.

Sakura was left stunned and speechless by Sasuke's offer, she scowled and faced Sasuke while he lifted her up by the neck. She looked at Sasuke with anger and disgust written all over her face; 'who the fuck does he think I am? I am not just some baby factory he could use' she thought in anger.

Sakura looked at Sasuke in the eye and spat a mixture of her blood and saliva at his face, "Fuck you Sasuke, I'd rather die than accept that stupid proposal" she replied.

Sasuke first wiped the spit off with his sleeve before he coldly stared at Sakura, "So be it, you had your chance but you squandered it you stupid bitch. Now prepare to pay the consequences" he replied in a threatening voice.

"Give me your best shot asshole" she yelled defiantly.

Sasuke aimed Sakura's own kunai to her neck lightly grazing it without opening up a single wound just yet, "Any last words?" he asked stoically.

"Yeah, go to hell you rotten son of a bitch. I honestly don't know what I ever saw in you, you are nothing but a traitorous snake bastard"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "As eloquent as ever I see", the Uchiha was about to use the kunai to slash the pink haired kunoichi's neck.

In Sakura's point of view, time seemed to stop as everything went by in a slow-motion. The kunai was slicing through the air before it would reach her neck. She wondered what was happening, she should have died by now and yet what would have been her final seconds were instead replaced by her final minutes.

Nothing made sense to her, the kunai continued to proceed to her neck at an extremely slow rate of speed, yet she couldn't move her body as well. While stuck in this strange limbo in time, memories suddenly came flooding back to her, with her imminent death approaching her mind began to recall key moments in her life.

Sakura realized that her life was flashing before her eyes, though as cliché as it sounded all of it was true. All the key points and memorable moments in her life appeared before her, both good and bad. She began to recall and remember all these instances, it started off with her childhood.

She recalled all the times she spent with her family when she was but a mere child, then it fast forwarded to when she was bullied as a child all because of her forehead, that was until Ino came to her rescue, thus resulting in her first ever friend.

Then it continued to her days in the academy, she cringed remembering those days but as much as she just wanted to forget this period of her life, it still and will always remain a part of her. The next scenes were concerned about her life with Team Seven, all the good times and the bad times.

After that it was her time in training with Tsunade, the period when Naruto was away in his own training mission with Jiraiya. During that time she improved herself as an individual and as a ninja of Konoha. She learned the values of hard work and she realized her mistake.

Then came the memories when Naruto returned, these were her most recent and fondest memories. As she watched them all she couldn't help but smile inwardly at how Naruto always made her laugh and smile. He did those same things before he left with Jiraiya, but she never really appreciated it as much as she did when he returned to Konoha.

As Sakura strolled down memory lane she began to realize the pattern revolving around her experiences. Naruto had one part or another in almost all of her life-changing experiences.

Her eyes widen in surprise as she realized just how significant Naruto has been in her life, she always saw him as a great friend but as she watched her memories she could see the effect he has had on her.

It was because of him that he was still alive, he saved her from death countless times. It was because of him that she changed for the better, he was her main source of inspiration thus leading her to seek training from Tsunade. He was the sunshine in her life, Naruto had always managed to make her smile, laugh and feel happy despite the circumstances.

She saw that whenever she was sad or down Naruto would help her or make her feel better, whenever she was rejected by Sasuke he would confront the Uchiha. When Sasuke left he promised to bring him back to Konoha thus restoring the smile on her face, when Sasuke broke her heart he promised to fix it again.

Another pattern was shown, while Naruto was light in her life, Sasuke was the darkness. For most of her life Sasuke was the source of her pain and she had just now realized it, Sakura sighed in thinking at how many years of her life she wasted chasing a boy that always seemed to hurt her, and now he was about to be the source of her premature death.

But through all the good memories and bad memories Sakura only had one real regret in her life, she regretted treating Naruto the way she did. If she had the power to go back in time she would and treat Naruto with the respect and dignity he deserved, kami knows she never deserved that and yet Naruto showered her with devotion.

Her final memory then came, it was about her confession in the Land of Iron. She watched it and felt guilty, she never thought that she'd ever stoop so low as to manipulate Naruto by using his feelings for her. She didn't want her parting memory with Naruto to be this, but unfortunately for her fate seemed to think differently. Her time was coming close at hand, she prolonged it enough with her episodic flashbacks. Time didn't really stop or slow down, but in her mind it did, and when she the final memory ended she could do nothing else but close her eyes and await her death.

She could feel the kunai coming closer, death was coming for her and she was about to die at the tender age of sixteen. Sakura had many wishes at how she wanted her life to turn out, she wished that she could have grown up and had her own family, she wished that she could have grown old to see her children have their own families. She wished that she could have found the right man she could have a happy life with, and she wished that she could see Naruto's smiling face one more time.

Sakura awaited her death only to feel no pain, instead she felt someone swoop in and carry her in a bridal position. She opened her eyes in curiosity and was in complete shock to see her wish come true. The man carrying her had familiar blonde and spiky hair, he also had cerulean blue oceanic eyes and three whisker marks in each cheek.

Carrying her was the man she never expected to see again, yet again he managed to save her from death, for one more time he managed to save her from Sasuke. The man had a cut wound grazing his right cheek, but he paid it no mind, instead he coldly stared at Sasuke through the corner of his eyes. Luckily he managed to arrive just in time to save Sakura, had he been a second later than it was likely that she would have been dead.

He sighed in relief knowing that Sakura was alive, he was angry at the girl for her stupidity but he couldn't manage to stay angry for long, he was just too relieved to know that she was alright.

The man was broken off from his reverie as he heard Sakura utter his name.

"Naruto"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Chakura no Mesu - Chakra Scalpel

Chidori Nagashi - Chidori Current

Tsūtenkyaku - Heavenly Foot of Pain

Cherry Blossom Impact – Ōkashō

Byakugō no In - Strength of a Hundred Seal

Infūin: Kai - Yin Seal: Release

Kuchiyose no Jutsu - Summoning Technique

Zesshi Nensan - Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid

Yasaka no Magatama - Eight Slopes Curved Jewel

Katsuyu Daibunretsu - Slug Great Division

Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique

Amaterasu – Heavenly Illumination

Kirin – Giraffe

Susanoo - He with the ability to help by all means

Sōzō Saisei - Creation Rebirth

 **Author's Note**

Chapter 9 is finally done and dusted, for those who read this I must admit the fight scene may have been a bit sloppy. Honestly it's because before I write I fight scene I look at Naruto Wiki for the techniques of each character, Naruto and Sasuke were easy to write about since they had a lot. But I have to admit that Sakura had barely any techniques, this made writing about her fight scenes a bit difficult. I plan on having her train further in the future to give her a wider range of techniques I could write about, so stay tuned for that. Other than that please favorite, follow and/or comment on my story all of which are great. Any form of questions about my stories or any constructive feedback on my writing are welcome here, as long as there is no hate. Anyway thanks everyone for reading and please give me your input about my future stories, the questions are up on the original author's notice, please give it a read. Thanks once more, you guys are the best!


	10. Home Sweet Home

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Here is Chapter 10, i really hope you guys like it. Chapter 11 will be out soon, it will focus mostly on the romantic subplot of my story and yes the lemon will be on the next chapter. First off i want to thank all of the stories supporters, i can't believe my story already made it to 400+ favorites and 500+ follows, i am really appreciative of all the support. Please continue to follow, favorite and comment on my story, i want my story to grow in followers to get it out there.**

 **Recently, I have also been getting many comments and questions about Sasuke in this story. Personally i kind of hate Sasuke as a character in the original Naruto, but in my story i won't bash him, as much as people might want me to. I want to keep the story realistic and i don't want to bash characters, it kind of makes the story unrealistic. Maybe in future stories i may bash him a bit, but for this one i won't. I made Sasuke relatively strong so that he could challenge Naruto as well, especially considering the fact that he is one of the main villains of the story. So to those all asking about why i may have made Sasuke strong, its because he was quite strong in the manga as well.**

 **Aside from that, like i said please continue to favorite, follow and comment. Any constructive criticism is welcome here and you can leave it in the form of a comment or pm, also if you have any questions regarding the story just comment or pm as well and i will do my best to answer. Thanks for all the support and i hope it continues!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Home Sweet Home**

"Naruto"

Sakura was in awe, once again Naruto had managed to save her just in the nick of time. This is not the first time this has happened, whenever she was in any form of danger Naruto was always somewhere nearby ready to swoop in any time and risk his own life for her own. She wondered though how Naruto managed to find and track her down.

Naruto held Sakura protectively, he glanced back through the corner of his eye, his face showed nothing but rage and contempt at Sasuke. He turned his attention to the girl he carried in his arms, his expression quickly turned from anger to worry.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Sakura bit her lower lip as the guilt she felt began to surface, she realized how her actions must have made Naruto worried, yet again her actions managed to hurt Naruto once more. She remained silent and instead nodded.

Naruto smiled warmly at her for a fraction of a second, "That's good to hear" he said before turning back and facing Sasuke.

"What the hell is your problem Sasuke? We just fought a while ago and now I see you doing this. Had I known that you might have killed her, then I would have killed you myself when I had the chance"

Sasuke smirked, "Yes Naruto you should have, but I guess luck was just in my side that time. I wasn't destined to die just yet, I still have much to accomplish before then" he replied.

Naruto stared at Sasuke for a few seconds trying to analyze the current situation at hand, but with his Sage Mode he suddenly sensed two groups of chakra gathering near their general direction, he looked up above of them and noticed that one of the sources was Gaara along with the bodyguards.

Gaara used his sand to carry them here, but with time being of the essence Naruto went on ahead on foot once he gained Sage Mode, the increase of his physical strength and powers led to an increase in his speed allowing him to reach Sasuke and Sakura quicker. But now they finally arrived as reinforcements if things were to get out of hand.

Sasuke looked up to see what Naruto was gazing at and he noticed the incoming reinforcements for Naruto, but seeing them did not instill fear in him and instead of fear he felt excitement and anticipation.

Gaara used his sand to drop him and the others down to the waters, soon after he and the four bodyguards jumped from the sand to take their place by Naruto's side. The group all jumped off the cloud of sand as it returned to Gaara's gourd, the sand siblings walked over to Naruto's left while Shikamaru and Neji walked over to his right. Seeing that things were looking safe now, Naruto allowed Sakura to stand, but with him being as protective as he was he made her stand behind him just in case.

Sasuke stared at all of them while his hand began to slowly make its way to the hilt of his katana, but once he managed to grab the hilt of his blade he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. The young Uchiha's eyes widened as he looked behind him, and right behind him was none other than Madara with Karin right beside him. He was no longer surprised once he saw who it was, Madara's abilities were simply unbelievable especially when it came to his Space and Time Ninjutsu and the portals he creates with that brand of ninjutsu.

Sasuke had completely forgotten about Karin and Madara, he was too preoccupied by the nearly complete reunion of Team Seven, all they really needed now was Kakashi and the old group would be complete.

"Sasuke stop, there's no need for this now" warned Madara.

The young Uchiha clenched his jaw, "Madara this is not the time for this; I have the perfect chance to rid myself of my enemies. Now that they are all here in one place I can kill them" he replied.

"Sasuke I won't say this again, stop. You need to realize that at the moment we are at a disadvantage, you cannot beat Naruto by himself, what hopes do you have of beating all of them at once. Karin is a medic and a sensor type and I am unfit to fight since I am not yet in my full strength, if we fight them here then everything we have done would be for naught"

Sasuke felt the grip on his shoulder tightening suggesting Madara's displeasure with his impatience, the young Uchiha sighed in defeat, "Fine have it your way" he replied. As much as he hated running away and admitting weakness in the face of his opponents, he knew that Madara was right he needed to become stronger if he wanted to make Konoha pay for their crimes.

Madara slowly took his arm off Sasuke's shoulder, "Good, just be patient for now Sasuke, your time will soon come. I will help you along the way as promised, for now you need to realize that you cannot defeat Naruto just yet, but with my help and training I will give you the power to not only defeat Naruto, but to destroy all of Konoha" said the elder Uchiha.

Sasuke grinned madly at Madara's words, "Very well then Madara, I will hold you to that" he replied.

Madara nodded and grinned underneath his mask, he turned back to the group of Konoha and Suna ninjas, "It appears I must cut this reunion short. But before we go I will leave you with one simple message. Resistance is futile Naruto, the Kyuubi will soon be ours and there is nothing you can do to stop us, even if you train as much as you can your capture will still be inevitable. That I promise you" he declared before laughing evilly.

As the elder Uchiha continued to laugh he summoned one of his portals for him, Sasuke and Karin to escape in. Once the trio was gone from their sights, the group of young ninjas were now able to rest easy knowing that the threat was gone.

Naruto sighed a breath of relief, he was exhausted from the events of the Five Kage Summit and truthfully he would have rather not fight the Akatsuki right then and there. He looked behind him and saw that his companions also seemed relieved, "I think it's time we all head on home" he suggested.

"I agree" replied Gaara as he walked over to Naruto, he offered him a handshake which Naruto returned, as both friends shook hands the others watched on at the respect each Kage had for one another.

"Thanks for everything Gaara, had it not been for you then who knows what may have happened. For this you have my eternal gratitude" said Naruto.

Gaara shook his head, "There's no need for that Naruto, and you would do the same if you were in my situation. Besides I owe her for saving my brother as well" he replied.

Naruto nodded and smiled at his old friend, the two separated from their handshake and Gaara walked over to his two siblings, on the way he nodded at Sakura acknowledging her presence, Sakura nodded back and mouthed a silent thank you to the Kazekage.

Then after a couple of seconds Gaara and his siblings jumped back on his sand before flying off to return to Sunagakure, leaving the Konoha ninjas back at the river underneath the bridge.

The Konoha ninjas stood in an awkward silence, nobody really knew what to say after everything that just happened. Sakura decided now was the time to apologize for her stupid actions, she felt ashamed for what she did. She questioned her decision making at the time but knew that her rampant emotions had a large part in her questionable choices.

Sakura slowly walked over to the young Hokage, once she stood face to face with the blonde Jinchuuriki she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, instead she looked down onto the water feeling ashamed of herself.

"Naruto I'd like to say that I'm…." before she could finish her sentence Naruto interjected.

"Please Sakura save it, I don't want to hear it. Let's just go back for now and forget this happened, I'm tired as it is and I just don't want to get into this now"

Sakura felt even more guilt but nodded slowly, Naruto looked at her sympathetically but he was just too tired to go on another argument with Sakura, he just wanted to go back to Konoha and rest. The past few days have been extremely stressful for him as it is.

"I think it's now time for us to go, I want to make it back to Konoha as soon as we can" said Naruto.

The Konoha ninjas all nodded and the group began to walk out of the river onto the nearest shore, but during the whole silent walk Sakura felt someone tap her shoulders, she looked behind her and saw that it was Sai. She was surprised to see him, only now did she realize that Sai, "What do you want Sai?" she asked.

Sai stared at the young girl with a deadpanned expression, "Sakura I think you may be forgetting something" he exclaimed.

Sakura adopted a thinking pose and wondered what he could have meant, then after a moment she realized that she had forgotten about the rest of her group.

"Oh shit" she yelled greatly surprising Naruto and his two bodyguards, the three of them looked behind them only to see a panicking Sakura.

"I can't believe I forgot about them, they're going to kill me. But wait Sai how are you here? Weren't you there with them?"

Sai remained emotionless as he stared at Sakura, "Umm that version of me you attacked was just a clone" he pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sakura nodded and began to recall the area where she left Lee and Kiba, she knew she had to hurry and find them considering the fact that when she did leave them, they were unconscious.

Naruto and his two bodyguards looked on at the two wondering what all the commotion was about, while Sakura was remembering the vital information, Sai walked up to them and informed them of her current dilemma. The three young men nodded fully understanding the situation.

"Sakura calm down, I can just use my Senjutsu to try and locate them. Just point me out to the direction you more or less left them in and I'll try and sense their chakra signature"

Sakura gazed at Naruto and nodded, she then guided the group towards the forest she left the other two Chunin. The search for then took a couple of hours, for quite some time the group continually got lost in search of the two Chunin but after a while Naruto managed to locate their chakra signature, even if his Sage Mode eventually wore off.

When they finally managed to find both Lee and Kiba, thankfully both were still safe and asleep, it was clear that nothing really happened to them during the whole period in which they were unconscious. Upon finding the two, Sakura used the smelling salts in her bag to wake the two and Kiba's canine companion Akamaru, once they woke up Sakura apologized continuously hoping to gain their forgiveness. Luckily for her neither of the two held any bad will for what she had done, they were a bit frustrated and disappointed but despite that they forgave her nonetheless.

The reunion among friends didn't last for very long, quickly after finding the two unconscious Chunin the group now consisting of Kiba and Lee, all ventured forth to return to Konoha.

The journey back to the village was relatively silent, throughout that period Naruto was in no mood to talk and neither were the others, with the exception of Lee and Kiba who were both unaware about the growing tension between the group. The two regularly tried to lighten the mood but to no avail, soon enough they decided to just give up as the large group travelled mostly in silence.

The time it took for the group to travel to the Land of Fire was the same amount of time it took for Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru to arrive from Konoha to the Land of Iron. Their week long journey was pretty uneventful, there was nothing really out of the ordinary and the journey was relatively smooth other than a few delays here and there due to the weather, but other than that there was nothing to note down.

During that week the group stopped by various towns and villages to restock their food, and while they were there they also stayed at the local hotels or motels, they were much better than having to camp out. While they stopped in these towns and villages, Naruto also used his toad summons to send messages and instructions to Kakashi. He gave him orders about the reconstruction of the village, and aside from that he also gave him updates on their journey back to Konoha. He left out the events of the summit, for something as vital and controversial as this it was best for him to inform Kakashi and the rest of the council face to face. He wondered how the council would react to learning about the events of the summit, Naruto knew that the summit meeting he participated in would one day be in the history books many years from now.

After a few more days of travelling, the group finally saw the outline of Konoha. They had arrived in the Land of Fire a day ago and since then they travelled to Konoha, which was located at the heart of the Land of Fire, the village was stationed just in the middle of the vast lands and finally after a long week the Hokage and his fellow ninjas were finally about to return home.

Naruto and the others hurried their pace to finally arrive to their destination, upon entering the gates the group was surprised to see that there was a large crowd gathered in that area, Naruto guessed that they were their welcoming party. The Hokage broke out a smile, something he hasn't been able to do for the past few days. He was flattered to see the reception given to him by the people of Konoha, this demonstration by the people showed Naruto just how much the village has changed since his childhood.

His heart soared feeling extremely jubilant and grateful for this warm welcome, he couldn't even imagine a welcome such as this being mainly for him, this shows just how far he had come in life. He looked over at the crowd and waved at them, he scanned the area and he was left in shock upon seeing none other than Tsunade watching on and leading the crowd.

The rest of the group noticed Naruto staring at a particular area, they all followed and looked to see what all the fuss was about. Much like their Hokage, the young ninjas were also extremely yet pleasantly surprised to see their former Hokage up and about. Naruto and Sakura were affected the most by seeing Tsunade standing tall, the two young teenagers stood in place as Tsunade walked over to their group.

To the both of them, Tsunade had been somewhat of a motherly figure, despite Naruto always regarding her to be more of a grandmother, he always saw her as something like the mother he never had. Sakura felt nearly the same way about the Godaime Hokage, for her Tsunade was a second mother and a mentor for her, without Tsunade she believes that she would never reach the heights she had as of today. In Sakura's eyes, Tsunade was the main reason she became the young woman she was today, although she was still prone to making silly mistakes and the occasional moments of immaturity, she still credited Tsunade for her development as not only a ninja but also as a person.

Once Tsunade arrived in front of the group she stood face to face with Naruto, a large smile adorning her face matching Naruto's own smile, after a few seconds she grabbed the new Hokage and hugged him tightly. She was extremely proud of the young man for achieving his dream, after being told by Kakashi about the events which took place while she was incapacitated, she was still a bit cautious about having Naruto as Hokage but she would rather have him than Danzo as their Hokage. With Naruto's immaturity and inexperience she still felt that Naruto may not be entirely ready to fully take on the task of being the Hokage of Konoha, but despite these setbacks she decided to place her trust in Naruto much like the rest of the village seemingly had done, knowing Naruto he would work hard each and every day to improve himself and to prove to the others that he was the correct choice for Rokudaime Hokage. This gave her confidence and belief got her young successor.

After the fierce hug, she then walked over to Sakura and have her a hug as well. The same motherly hug she gave Naruto, she was thankful that the two of them were safe and she was also thankful seeing Konoha continue to stand despite Pein's attack. She soon separated from her as well then stepped back to examine the two, she smiled just seeing how mature they've become over a month and a half.

"It really is good to see the both of you, even though it hasn't been that long I can see just how much you've both changed. I must say Naruto I never expected for you to do such a good job while I was gone, but I have to admit I'm even more surprised to see that you finally let your obsession over orange go" she said in a joking tone.

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Thanks Tsunade, I guess I just grew up that's all" he replied.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Tsunade? No Baa-chan? I guess you really have changed, and I guess I can't complain. I always hated being called that you know, besides I'm not even that old."

Naruto chuckled and nodded, "Well you're in luck, there's a new Naruto in Konoha" he exclaimed.

Tsunade laughed and rubbed the top of his head, Naruto groaned feeling as if the elder woman still saw him as a kid, even though he was clearly the new Hokage.

"I guess there is, but no matter how old you get you'll always be the same little brat to me"

Naruto looked at her with a deadpanned expression, "Gee thanks I guess" he replied in a sarcastic tone.

Tsunade then directed her attention to her own student, "As for you Sakura you look stronger since I last saw you. I hope you've been keeping the brat in line" she said.

Sakura smiled lightly and nodded, "It's good to see you too Shishou" she said in return, Tsunade once more raised an eyebrow upon seeing how feeble and timid Sakura was acting. She knew something was up with her student, she could just tell by seeing her reaction and the way she was acting, it was a far cry from her loud and strong self.

Obviously though, she didn't know what was really going on with Naruto or Sakura. She could clearly see that their interaction has been practically nonexistent so far, she expected for the two of them to act like their usual bickering selves but they seemed more reserved as of late. Despite the happy and cheerful vibes around the village she could still sense the tension and the awkwardness among the group of youngsters. Though she decided not to pry further for now, she wanted to keep this reunion a joyful one, they'll worry about their problems some other day.

Sakura continued to hold a semi-fake façade of happiness, on one hand she was extremely pleased to see that her master had awakened from her coma, but on the other hand the guilt she felt for her actions still remained. It continued to plague her mind how her actions and decisions as of late always managed to hurt her dearest and closest friend. But she tried as much as she could to stop these emotions from surfacing, she didn't want to ruin this moment.

Not too long after the short reunion, Naruto and the rest of the group examined the area as a whole and from what they saw, Konoha made amazing progress in regards to their reconstruction. There was still work to be done but so far the rate of the rebuilding process was nothing less of spectacular, just from first glance the ninjas could see the new buildings, shops and homes, all of which were not there when they left. There were now even roads and streets within the village showing the progress made during that whole week.

Naruto was left speechless due to utter delight seeing the amazing progress made by the village during his absence, the sight of the advancement of the village's reconstruction and the fact that Tsunade has fully recovered from her horrific coma truly made Naruto's day.

Tsunade watched Naruto gaze in wonder of the village, at this point in time Konoha was really coming along nicely. The Godaime crossed her arms and a smirk appeared on her face, "It looks pretty great huh?" she asked.

Naruto nodded slowly, "Well gaki the village has you to thank for this. You've done an excellent job I do say so myself. The old man and the pervert would be proud of you" she said.

"You really think so?"

"Yes Naruto I do, you've done really well for yourself and I just cannot believe how much you've changed since I last saw you, and that wasn't even that long ago"

"Thanks Tsunade, I really appreciate that"

"No problem gaki, you deserve it anyway. Actually I just remembered something just now, and it has something to do with you"

Naruto looked at her suspiciously, "So what is it?" he asked curiously.

Tsunade chuckled, "It's a secret for now. How about we meet up with Kakashi, the two of us have a surprise just for you" she replied.

Naruto was confused for a second, "Sure I guess we can do that. It's not something bad or embarrassing is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"No Naruto it's nothing like that. Just come with us and we'll show you the surprise, I'm sure you're going to love it"

Naruto nodded in agreement but before he left with Tsunade he suddenly remembered something he had to do, the Hokage stood tall and directed his attention to the six other ninjas he returned with, he walked to the stand in front of the whole group wishing to give them their orders.

"I guess all our work for today is done. Sakura, Kiba and Lee, the three of you are dismissed for now. I need to talk to Sai, Neji and Shikamaru privately" he declared.

The three Chunin nodded and they departed from the group, with Sakura and Kiba both returning to their respective families while Lee left in search of his beloved sensei Gai. Once the three were gone, Naruto glanced at the two Jonin and the ROOT operative, his expression quickly hardened.

"As for you three I will need you guys to each do something for me. First off, Shikamaru I need you to go and gather some ANBU and order them to meet by the entrance of the new Hyuga Clan Estate. Neji, I need you to go and talk to Hiashi-san and tell him what we learned about your clan's elders, I will also have Sai accompany you as proof of their misdoings. I will meet you guys by the entrance of the Hyuga Clan's Estate sometime at night, I just need to entertain Tsunade and Kakashi for now while we prepare, are we all clear on that?"

The three nodded, "Hai Hokage-sama" they all replied, Naruto grinned as the three went on to quickly do their Hokage's bids. Shikamaru went on ahead to the Hokage's Tower to gather the ANBU, while the other two went ahead to the Hyuga Clan's Estate.

Once all that was taken care off, Naruto went ahead and walked back over to Tsunade, this time however she was now also accompanied by Kakashi, this saved them the time of looking for him. Naruto was now surprised one bit, Kakashi always made a habit of appearing whenever needed.

The young Hokage greeted his teacher as well and after a small conversation among the three, both Kakashi and Tsunade then made Naruto follow their lead. The three walked away from the welcoming party, the crowd continued to cheer for him but soon after the three were out of sight the size of the crowd began to slowly but surely decrease.

Meanwhile the three continued their walk around the village, Naruto wondered where the two were leading him and his suspicions were only fueled further upon seeing the smirks and grins present on their faces. While he was being led by the two, Naruto continued to marvel and gawk at the new infrastructure of the village. Naruto estimated that with the current rate they were going, plus adding the extra help the village was going to get from the other elemental villages, the complete reconstruction of Konoha will only more or less take a few more months.

Naruto was soon broken from his thoughts when he saw the two ninjas in front of him stop, he looked back at the two and noticed that they were standing in front of what seemed to be a large mansion. He wondered what they were doing here and what the mansion was for, his questions were soon answered once Tsunade brought out a pair of keys and handed it to him.

The young Hokage's eyes widened once he connected the dots, "Is that house supposed to be mine?" he asked while pointing at the large mansion in front of him.

Both Kakahsi and Tsunade nodded with a clear smile plastered on their faces, Naruto could not utter coherent words, he was at a loss for words by just seeing the front of the home, he was yet to even see the interior design of the mansion.

"Wait, what is this for? Is this whole place really mine?" he asked.

"Yes Naruto it's your place now seeing as you are the new Hokage. As you know, the Hokage usually lives in the Hokage Residence but seeing as how it was destroyed during Pein's invasion, we all decided to make one to surprise you. This was actually Tazuna's plan at first and soon Yamato also agreed, news about this soon spread around the village and most of the people wanted to help build this mansion for you. They wanted you to consider it as a token of their gratitude, they are all extremely grateful for your heroics during Pein's Invasion and because of this many felt that this was the least they could do. So in a way this a gift by the people to give you thanks for what you did for them" answered Kakashi with his classic eye smile.

"But this time Naruto, unlike the former Hokage Residence this home is just for you. Once you retire as Hokage you will still be able to keep this mansion" Tsunade added on.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with excitement, his stoic and serious attitude of the past week quickly deteriorated to instead resemble the attitude of an excited child. He was raring to go and explore his new home of his. For years he lived in an old rundown apartment and now he was replacing that with a large mansion, the transition from that simple lifestyle into this new lavish and luxurious one was going to take a lot of getting used to. But for him this was a good problem to have.

The Rokudaime Hokage quickly grabbed the keys from Tsunade's hand and rushed to his new front door, he opened it and stepped in his new home for the first time. Upon entering the new mansion, it was much roomier and larger than he initially thought. Tsunade and Kakashi soon followed him as the three explored the large home. Naruto was amazed at the regality of the interior designs of the mansion.

Naruto walked around the large new mansion for what seemed like hours, from what he saw it had everything. Just like any home should it obviously had bedrooms, it had bathrooms, and there was also a large kitchen with a full set of ingredients already stored in his new refrigerator. Other than that there was also a recreational room, a small gym, a dojo, a spa, a personal study, a mini-library, a trophy room, and a large backyard which even contained a large onsen. This mansion had everything, the people really pulled out all the stops to make this, and for that Naruto was extremely thankful.

The blonde Jinchuuriki was overwhelmed by all of this, never in his wildest dreams would he have ever thought that he would own a house such as this. It was a house built for a king, and despite Naruto being a simple man, there was no way in hell he was going to refuse this home. Even he was allowed to be spoiled every now and then.

Naruto's final stop in the tour of his new home was the master bedroom, it was located near the top of the mansion up a few flights of stairs. The master bedroom had everything, first and foremost there was a massive king sized bed, there were also wardrobes, bookshelves and cabinets. Aside from those, the room also had a large desk just for him, there was also a personal bathroom which included a massive bathtub which resembled more of a hot-tub.

After seeing the bathroom, he returned to the master bedroom and noticed another door. This time it was a sliding door which led him to his balcony, he walked over to his balcony and studied the area surrounding his new home. From what Naruto could see the neighborhood surrounding his home seemed to be a peaceful and quiet one, a perfect setting for him.

Once he was done looking over from his balcony's viewpoint, he returned back to his new living room where both Kakashi and Tsunade were waiting. He headed down the stairs and soon found the two sitting comfortably in his new set of sofas. Naruto sat on the couch opposite their seats, between them was a coffee table and Naruto was not surprised one bit to see that Tsunade was already enjoying a bottle of sake to commemorate the special occasion.

Naruto joined in and grabbed his own cup of sake, Tsunade was surprised to suddenly see Naruto drinking but it seemed that it wasn't his first time at it. After Naruto drank his first cup of sake he saw the surprised look on Tsunade's face, "Don't worry Tsunade I've done this before with Jiraiya-sensei while we were away on our training trip. And I must admit, ever since I became Hokage and the paperwork came in, I've been tempted more and more to drink some sake so I guess I kind of inherited my predecessors habits in a way" he declared lightheartedly.

Tsunade rolled her eyes but softly laughed nonetheless, "I told you gaki, the job does that to you. It's not as glamourous as people think" she replied. Naruto fully agreed and raised his second cup to toast to her words, the other two raised their cup as well before drinking down their sake.

"So tell me Naruto, what's been going on since I was in my coma? I was given the shortened and summarized version by Kakashi and Shizune, but now I want to know what happened from your point of view and don't leave anything out. I'm quite curious of what really happened" she asked.

Naruto saw no harm in telling her about the events which took place over the past month, and so for the next hour or so Naruto went and told her about everything that happened while she was in her coma. Though he did leave a few parts out such as Sai's betrayal, Sakura's confession, and Sakura's confrontation with Sasuke. But other than that Naruto spared no expense in the details, he told the two of them about the meetings he had with the council and the elders, the Five Kage Summit, and the war Madara started.

Both Kakashi and Tsunade were stunned once they heard the events of the summit, both have participated in major wars before and those were times neither of them wanted to experience again. But unfortunately it seemed that another war was inevitable, but this time the opponent was no longer other countries, instead it was against an S-Rank terrorist group.

At first the thought of an alliance between the five nations was inconceivable for the two of them, but as Naruto delved deeper into the topic they realized how the desperate times called for desperate measures. Even though war seemed to be on the horizon, Tsunade still felt pride but this pride was for Naruto, just by hearing how he conducted himself in the meetings and at the summit, she began to feel more and more confident at his appointment. If he kept this up then he was going to have a long and successful career as Hokage of Konoha.

Once Naruto's story and explanation finally ended, Kakashi decided to ask him a few question, "Naruto, don't you think we should inform the council about all this? They have a right to know" he said.

Naruto nodded in agreement as he raised a hand to calm Kakashi down, "Don't worry sensei I have that covered. I was planning on having a council meeting tomorrow anyway, I was going to inform and update everyone during the council meeting that was my original plan. All I need for you sensei is to just have your ANBU contact the usual participants and inform them of a council meeting tomorrow. Is that alright?" he calmly replied.

"Of course Naruto, that could be arranged. But how about that Hyuga Clan problem? How are you fixing that?"

"I've got something up my sleeve sensei. As we speak right now I had Neji inform Hiashi-san about the treachery of his clan's elders, and I also had Shikamaru inform the ANBU stationed in my office to go and gather more operatives. I gave them directions to wait by the entrance of the Hyuga Clan's new compounds, were going to meet Hiashi there and explain the full situation to him there"

"I see, that is a good idea Naruto"

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei, I think it's actually nearing the time for me to meet up with them. It has been a couple of hours, I'm sure they've managed to set everything up. Do you two want to come as well?"

Both Kakashi and Tsunade looked at each other for a second before looking back at Naruto, the two older ninjas nodded their heads in confirmation.

"Sure Naruto, I'm actually curious to see you in action" exclaimed Tsunade.

"That's great, because I may need a bit of help when I get there. That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you a question but I haven't had the chance to do so before now" he said.

"What did you want to ask me gaki?"

"I was actually wondering if you could be one of my advisors, I actually already have Shikamaru as one of them but I think you're experience being the a former Hokage yourself is invaluable. So what do you say?"

Tsunade was surprised hearing Naruto's offer, after thinking of the pros and cons of this proposition she ended up sighing in defeat, "Sure kid I might as well. To be honest all I really wanted to do now was just to enjoy retirement but if you need my help then I guess I can't resist" she replied causing Naruto to break out a large smile.

"You really mean it? You will help me then?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes dramatically, "Yes Naruto like I said I will be you second advisor" she replied

"That's great, I really owe you one"

"You're damn right you do, but let's talk about that some other time. If I'm not mistaken we have a clan problem to fix"

"Yeah I guess you're right, it's time for us to leave and meet up with the others"

The three then ended their little get together as they prepared themselves for what was to come, the trio walked out of the new Hokage's mansion and they made their way to the new Hyuga Clan Compound.

After a few minutes the trio arrived by the gates of the compound, a small group also seemed to wait for their arrival. The group consisted of Hiashi Hyuga himself being accompanied by Neji and Sai, they were also joined by the eight ANBU operatives he called for.

Naruto approached the group, as he walked closer the ANBU operatives all saluted their Hokage, Naruto waved it off and instead focused his attention on Hiashi.

Naruto stood in front of the Hyuga Clan's head, "I presume you've heard the news?" he asked.

Hiashi sighed in defeat and nodded slowly, "Unfortunately I have Hokage-sama, and allow me to be the first to apologize on behalf of my clan. All I want to say is what they did does not reflect the true views of the clan as a whole, I'm sorry for what they did" he said in an apologetic tone.

"There's no need to apologize Hiashi-san, the only ones guilty are those elders. I understand what happened and none of you will be blamed for their actions so you don't have to worry about that" assured Naruto.

Hiashi breathed out a sigh of relief feeling that a massive burden has been lifted, if there was one thing he didn't want to do, it was to make an enemy of the Hokage.

"I'm glad to hear that Hokage-sama, thank you for your kindness" he replied before bowing respectfully at the young man.

"That's alright Hiashi-san, but even though I am on good terms with the Hyuga Clan, we need to find the appropriate punishment to those traitors. Do you have anything in mind?"

Hiashi adopted a thinking pose as he pondered a suitable punishment for those elders, a small part of him resented for so long because to it bluntly, during his whole time as clan head the elders have always been a pain in the ass for him. Now doing something as devious as betraying one's own Kage merited something major, the conspiracy and the possible danger they placed on Konoha dishonored them as a clan and they had to be punished accordingly.

"Personally Hokage-sama I would have them detained in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility, for what they've done I believe they deserve this punishment. While we waited for you I have already given the ANBU you sent information about all the elders involved, they are aware of where to find them and how to identify them" he answered.

Naruto nodded and noted that down in his mind, he was thinking along the same lines as Hiashi but he felt as if Hiashi should have had the final say. He was also thankful that Hiashi went ahead with his quick thinking and prepared the ANBU with the vital information required for this delicate procedure.

"Very well then Hiashi-san, I completely agree with your judgement" he replied before facing his ANBU troops, "ANBU I called you here for the arrest of the Hyuga Clan's Elders, Hiashi-san has informed me that you are all equipped with the necessary information, all I'm here to tell you now is that we have an warrant of arrest for the Hyuga Elders. All I need for you to do is gather them here in handcuffs and I will read out their crimes. Are we clear?" he ordered.

"Hai Hokage-sama" they all said simultaneously before silently entering the Hyuga Clan's Compound, seeing as how the sun was setting around that time it helped the ANBU's stealth. This made their job much easier, it reduced risks of having their targets attempt to flee.

While the ANBU gathered up the Hyuga Clan's elders, Naruto and the rest of them waited patiently by the entrance. After waiting patiently for around twenty minutes, they noticed a large group approaching. Naruto examined them closer and saw that his ANBU officers were leading a line of ten handcuffed Hyuga elders.

The ANBU operatives led them to stand in front of the Hokage and his group, Naruto walked closer and studied the convicted felons.

"What is the meaning of this? Release us this instant!" yelled one of the elders.

Naruto looked towards the source of the noise and saw an enraged Hyuga who appeared to be in his seventies, before Naruto cold say anything he suddenly heard a retort by Hiashi.

"You will not address our Hokage in that manner Hiroshi, you are in no place to make demands after what you've done against the Hokage and Konoha. We have found you charged for treason and conspiracy for your cooperation with Danzo Shimura in his plan to assassinate the Rokudaime Hokage. How do you please Hiroshi?" he hissed in anger.

Aside from their crimes against the Hokage, he also had an inkling of a feeling that their cooperation with Danzo also promised his own assassination. Having dealt with the elders for years, it wasn't difficult for him to realize that they loathed him for what he stood for, at first he was a product of their brainwashing propaganda but after witnessing Naruto and Neji's fight during the Chunin Exams, his eyes were opened to the harsh reality of the clan's traditions, and not matter how hard he tries to abolish the clan's horrid traditional stance of the Branch Family, those elders always stood in his way from accomplishing his abolishment.

Hiroshi was surprised about being found out, but his facial expression did not betray him, he perfectly kept an emotionless expression to deceive them about his association with Danzo, "I will have you know that your accusations are all false. We have stayed loyal to Konoha and the Hokage, you don't even have proof that we ever associated ourselves with Danzo" he replied in an icy tone.

Naruto grinned in response, "Well that's actually where you're wrong. Sai come over here" he said out loud, Hiroshi's eyes widened significantly upon hearing that name, he knew that he was one of Danzo's most trusted soldiers, not to mention the fact that it was he himself who placed the Caged Bird Seal on Sai's forehead.

Sai walked over to Naruto's side after emerging from the back, he stood tall with a cold expression and glare both of which directed at the Hyuga's Elders. He slowly took off his Hitai-ate to show his seal, "This is our proof" he replied while pointing at the seal.

Hiroshi flinched knowing that there was no getting out of this now, "Damn, dammit it all to hell. This was not supposed to happen, Danzo was supposed to get rid of you and three" he screamed.

The three did not flinch instead Hiashi smiled a sinister grin, "Things didn't go your way so it seems Hiroshi. I always knew you were a snake waiting to strike, it's a good thing that I'm now cutting you down. I'll have you know that for your actions we have decided a suitable punishment for you, all ten of you will be sent to Konoha Strict Correctional Facility for life" he declared causing the elders to shiver in fear. The Konoha Strict Correctional Facility was notorious for housing the worst criminals of Konoha and of the Land of Fire, the treatment of prisoners there was shitty, to say the least.

Having had enough of this Naruto decided to finally end this, "ANBU take them away, you all know what to do with them" he ordered.

The ANBU officers nodded and began to lead the line of handcuffed Hyuga Elders to their new prison, on the way there the elders all shouted and cursed profanities at Naruto, Hiashi and Sai, but neither of the three really paid them any attention. It didn't matter to them, just as long if justice was served.

After watching the ANBU take the Hyuga elders away, Naruto said his goodbyes with Sai, Tsunade, Kakashi, Hiashi and Neji. The Hokage of course shook hands with the Hyuga Clan's Head before Naruto decided to return to his new home to catch some well-deserved rest.

Once Naruto left, so did Sai, Kakashi and Tsunade, all of them returned to their own homes or tents. But before Sai left to return to his own tent, he was stopped by Hiashi. The Hyuga patriarch suggested for him to return to the clan's compound sometime in the next few days for Hiashi to remove his Caged Bird Seal. Of course Sai agreed to it and he decided to stop by sometime soon to finally take care of that dreaded seal.

Tsunade on the other hand left silently content upon seeing her successor in action for the first time, and to be fair she was very impressed by his judgement and actions especially considering the fact that he was only sixteen and he was already making mature decisions such as these.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The Hokage's eyes flickered open as he woke up from his deep slumber, he found himself sprawled over his new king sized bed, thankfully for him he finally had the peaceful and relaxed sleep he deserved. Looking up at the clock on his wall he began to panic, he had forgotten to set his alarm clock and now the council meeting was set to start in twenty minutes.

Naruto quickly jumped off his bed and ran to his bathroom, he bathed hastily before changing into his usual Hokage attire. Unfortunately for him he had no time to make and eat breakfast, so he needed to go on without them, he decided to just eat after the meeting. Once he was finished with his daily rituals, the young Hokage raced to the Hokage's tower for his meeting.

After five minutes he finally arrived at his destination, and he didn't even break a sweat, the young Hokage glanced at the watch on his wrist and felt satisfied to know that he arrived just in time. Now that he stood in front of the door for the council room, he steeled his resolve before opening the door. Once he entered the room he was pleased to see everyone already sitting by their seats, even Tsunade present as she proudly represented the Senju Clan, he walked over to his own seat so that the meeting would commence.

The first few hours of the meeting went by smoothly, Naruto was updated about all matters related to the welfare of his village. The Hokage was pleased to hear about the progress of the rebuilding project, during this discussion Naruto was given the choice of the next few buildings to prioritize. Now that Konoha was able to house and shelter the population, Naruto chose for them to focus on building a new hospital, and for them to build a new academy. The council agreed and they decided to inform Yamato about this as soon as they could.

After their updates, it was Naruto's turn to give them his. The Hokage told them all about the Five Kage Summit and he spared no expense on the details. The council was left stunned by Naruto's lengthy explanation, they could not believe just how complicated things became.

First of all, the council were all shocked to learn of Danzo's betrayal and Sasuke involvement with the Akatsuki. They always knew that Danzo was ambitious, but they hadn't expected for him to go to such lengths to achieve his goals. As for Sasuke, the council foresaw this a long time ago, even since his defection to join Orochimaru, but the news still came as a shock to them. During his detailed explanation though, Naruto purposely left out the controversial truth about the Uchiha Massacre, he believed that it was a topic for another time.

Another major topic of discussion was the coming war, Naruto informed the whole council about Madara's plans for this upcoming war, the council were certain that Madara was a madman. The plans of that man were simply outrageous, they knew that they had to do everything they can to stop him from achieving his goals.

After the topic of Madara, Naruto then told them about the new Allied Shinobi Forces, after first hearing about the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the council's morale began to plummet down, but thankfully they were soon rejuvenated upon hearing this excellent piece of news. The new alliance made the council feel confident in their chances of victory, but even with this newfound confidence the council tried not too complacent, they all knew that Madara was not someone to be taken lightly, he was known as the type of man who would always have a trick up his sleeve, and for that alone things may not be as simple as they sound.

Five years ago, the council would have thought than an alliance between the five villages would have been absolutely impossible due to past wars and grudges held by all nations. But now it seemed that the impossible was made possible, by their new Hokage no less. Just after a month of being named the Hokage at tender age of sixteen, Naruto then went on to attend a Five Kage Summit and convince the four other Kages to form an alliance.

Now to top it all off, the leader of this alliance was also Naruto. The council could not believe the turn of events that has happened over this past month and a half, they didn't know if all of this just happened to be a small coincidence or if Naruto is truly some sort of chosen one or something. The young man's ability to bring people together was considered impressive, but this was taking it to a whole new level. Just from hearing this piece of news, they were beginning to see why the Daimyo chose Naruto as Tsunade's successor.

The council had a difficult time taking all of this in, this was getting too overwhelming. They couldn't even imagine how Naruto would have felt experiencing all of this firsthand within a day.

"Is there anything else you want to say Hokage-sama?" Homura asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yes I do Homura-san; in fact I have two last things to say. Firstly, as of today Sasuke Uchiha will be added to the bingo book, I'm sure I need no explanation for my reasons. Sasuke will be placed under S-Rank and I will also place a bounty on his head" he declared. The Hokage's declaration was met with approving nods, there were no objections with Naruto's choice.

"Alright then since we all agree on that I will move on to my second and final point for this meeting. During the summit gathering, I talked with the Raikage and he told me that there is something he wishes for me to learn. He wanted me to go and train under his brother Killer Bee. The Raikage's brother is special in the sense that he managed to fully control the Hachibi, he is able to draw his power at any time he wants. The Raikage suggested for me to train under him before the war truly begins and frankly I'm inclined to agree. If we want to stand a chance against the first seven Bijuu, I need to be able to control my own"

"I see, that power will be needed if we were to defeat Madara. How long will you be gone" asked Koharu.

Naruto shrugged, "To be honest I don't know how long I'm gone. It could be a month, it could a year, or it could even be for years. But all I know is that if I do manage to master this, I am confident that we can win against them" he answered.

Koharu nodded understandingly, "Who will lead Konoha while you are away?" she continued asking.

"I think it's only fair to choose Tsunade" he replied

Tsunade who had been sitting silently and patiently in her seat was suddenly the center of attention, 'Dammit gaki you just had to put me in the spot. First I chose to be your advisor now I'm even filling in for you, great just great' she thought to herself.

"What do you say Tsunade-sama?" asked one of the civilian council members.

Tsunade sighed in defeat knowing that she was in fact the best candidate for the job, "I'll do it I guess" she begrudgingly answered.

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Now that all of that is set, what do you think about this training arrangement?" he asked.

Koharu stood up from her chair and faced the Hokage, "I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I agree with the Raikage. This training of yours may just be the deciding factor for us, it will be vital for you to master this power" she declared.

Naruto heard no objections from the crowd, he smiled and nodded knowing that things were going according to plan.

"When do you plan on leaving Hokage-sama"

Naruto was broken from his thoughts because to Shikaku's sudden question, "I plan on leaving probably in a few months. I'm not sure yet, before I leave I still have certain things I need to resolve. One of which is the reconstruction of the village" he answered.

With that answered and other questions left, Naruto decided to end the meeting right then and there. After Naruto concluded the council meeting, he headed out to Ichiraku's for the breakfast he missed out on.

* * *

 **With Sakura**

A week has passed since her return to Konoha, along with the others. Since then she had avoided Naruto, and she felt that he did the same. Things were awkward between them at the moment, and she could only blame herself for it.

Today was just like any other day for Sakura, the pink haired Kunoichi was currently working in one of the medical buildings around Konoha, but this time she was with both Tsunade and Shizune, the former being the head of this department.

Tsunade and Shizune were both not only working for Naruto, they balanced their time quite well as they managed to perform two jobs. Aside from being Naruto's advisor and secretary respectively, they also served as doctors for this particular medical shelter. This situation with the medical shelters wasn't ideal, but until the hospital was built this was good enough for now.

There were a few other medical shelters around Konoha with each of them being led by a few doctors. This just happened to be the one led by Tsunade, and the former Hokage chose to have her two apprentices as a part of her staff.

But today much like the past few days, Sakura seemed to be much more prone towards making mistakes, she was a bit all over the place when it came to her medical work. Both Tsunade and Shizune noticed this quite easily and they were worried or Sakura, they knew something was going on with her. Sakura was usually a perfectionist when it came to her work, but recently that was hardly the case.

Tsunade decided to get to the bottom of things, at the moment Sakura was a liability to the work place and something was up with her, she was determined to get to the bottom of this. The former Hokage glanced at Shizune and nodded, this was a sign that meant she was in charge while she was gone. Shizune returned the nod and watched as Tsunade approached Sakura.

Sakura was calmly writing down reports on one of the desks placed in the medical shelter, as she continued to write she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her and noticed that the hand belonged to Tsunade.

"Sakura come with me, we need to talk"

Sakura nodded and stood from her seat, she followed Tsunade to her office. Sakura wondered what was going on, the sympathetic smile on Tsunade's face made her wonder what she wanted to talk about.

"So why did you call me hear Shishou?"

"Sakura I'm going to be honest with you, lately you've been sloppy. But you aren't usually like this, now I know something is up and so please tell me. I'm sure I can help you" she said in a concerned motherly tone.

"What are you talking about Tsunade-sama? I'm fine I swear, just tired that's all" Sakura replied with a fake smile.

Tsunade shook her head, "Don't play with me Sakura, I know you're not fine. You can't fool me, I know you too well. Now tell me what's wrong" she said.

Sakura's fake smile faltered as she stared at her teacher, she wondered if she should tell her about her problems with Naruto at the moment. Although this was a private matter between her and Naruto, at the moment she was in desperate need of advice for this dilemma, and there was no one more qualified than Tsunade to give this advice.

Sakura sighed in defeat, "Alright Shishou you win, it all started when…" she went on to tell Tsunade about everything that happened to her over the past two weeks. She told Tsunade about her false confession to Naruto, Shikamaru's reaction to it, her fight against Sasuke, and finally how her life flashed before her eyes before her death.

After that whole explanation was over, Tsunade walked closer to Sakura, she lifted her fist and then unexpectedly hit Sakura on top of her head.

Sakura was shocked by the hit, she clutched her head in pain realizing just how much it hurt, "What was that for?" she yelled. Sakura looked back at Tsunade looking for answers but the pink haired Kunoichi flinched when she saw tears cascade down her master's face.

"That was for running after Sasuke, Sakura. Do you know how dangerous that is? You could have been killed, I could have lost you. Also how could you do what you did to Naruto as well? How dare you try and use him, he has done nothing to deserve any of that"

Sakura's bottom lip trembled, tears welled up in her eyes and soon she was also crying just like her master, "Am I horrible person for what I did shishou? I can't forgive myself for what I did. I'm sorry and I cannot express that enough, for the past few days that has been bothering me. I know Naruto's mad at me at the moment, and frankly I don't blame him, after all the shit I put him through he deserves better" she asked.

Tsunade breathed in and out to calm herself, after a minute she walked up to grieving Sakura and gave her apprentice a motherly hug to calm her down as well, "No you're not Sakura, you're not a bad person. You were just no thinking straight, I know you care for Naruto and you were just doing what you thought was best" she said.

Sakura was thankful for her master's words, she hugged the blonde woman and cried on her shoulder. The two stood there in that position for a few minutes, Tsunade was happy for Sakura to release all her pent up sadness and frustration.

Once Sakura stopped crying, the pair separated from their hug. Tsunade had a good look at Sakura, she could see that her eyes were red and puffy, clearly a result of her tears.

"Sakura I am going to ask you a question and I want you to answer truthfully" she said as Sakura wiped away her tears before nodding.

"I want you tell me about how you feel about Naruto right now? I need you to tell me the truth"

Sakura was silent as she thought long and hard about that question, it was a simple question anymore. After that encounter with Sasuke, her perception about Naruto changed drastically, especially when her life flashed before her eyes.

"I don't know how to answer that Shishou, I guess he can make me feel many different emotions all at once. Naruto can make me laugh, he can make me feel angry, happy, safe and embarrassed all at once, but now that I think about it he never really made me sad"

Tsunade nodded in understanding as the corner of her lip began to twitch, "Sakura I don't know how to say this but after everything you told me, I think you may have feelings for Naruto" she said in a sly tone.

Sakura blushed and quickly began to deny her assumptions, "No I don't have feelings for Naruto, Shishou. How can you come to this assumption? Were just friends I swear, I don't feel that way to him" she said.

A tick mark formed on Tsunade's forehead, she bonked Sakura on the head one more time to silence her, "That was to make you shut up, now listen closely Sakura I'm going to give you advice, this might just be the most important piece of advice I will ever give you" she said.

Sakura stood in silence as she clutched her throbbing head, she listened intently at what Tsunade was about to say next.

Tsunade's expression turned somber as she faced her apprentice, "Sakura, do not make the same mistakes I made. I made many mistakes in my life but the biggest mistake I ever made was never giving the pervert a chance."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, "Jiraiya-sama? What do you mean by that Shishou?"

"What I mean by that is that you never really know what you have Sakura, until it's gone, Jiraiya and I were so much like you and Naruto right now. He would always ask me on dates and I would always refuse and hit him for being an idiot. He always loved me and I knew it, but I never acted on it. I was always too caught up with Dan, and don't get me wrong I still love Dan, but I just can't help but imagine how my life could have been had I accepted one of Jiraiya's dates"

Sakura was feeling sympathetic towards her master, she could see the direct relation between both Jiraiya and Naruto, and Tsunade and her. She was broken out of her reverie once she heard her master chuckle dryly.

"It's funny because just before Jiraiya's death, during that mission to Ame I told him that when he returned I would finally go on one of those dates with him. But he never returned"

Sakura saw the sadness in her master's eyes, "I'm sorry for your loss Shishou, Jiraiya-sama was a great man" she said.

Tsunade smiled, "Listen Sakura, I'm telling you this for a purpose. Do not make the same mistake I did, Naruto loves you and he is willing to do anything for you, I can also see that you feel the same way about him, even though you won't admit it. Don't be like me Sakura, take the risk I never took, I want you to be happy and I am certain that Naruto will make you happy. Don't let your stubbornness and pride get in the way, like they did me. Trust me in this one Sakura"

Sakura stood in silence as she soaked in her master's words, she continued to think about all of this and soon she came to the conclusion that she may just have feelings for Naruto. For the longest time they were just hidden underneath the feelings she had for Sasuke, it was clear that her infatuation towards Sasuke blinded her for such a long time.

"Shishou I think you may be right. I think I may have feelings for him" she said in shock as the realization of her feelings just set in.

Tsunade inwardly squealed in joy, she has been rooting for the two for years now. The blonde instead smiled at her younger counterpart, "That's great Sakura, it seems you listened to my advice after all. So how do you feel now?" she said in a proud tone.

"To be honest Shishou I feel as if a weight has been lifted. I don't know what it is but I just feel better. But what do I do now? I've never felt this way about someone before. How do I show him that this time I really do love him? I don't want him to think that I'll use him again"

Tsunade had a grin similar to that of a Cheshire cat, she leaned over to her apprentice's ear and whispered her suggestion to her. As Sakura listened to Tsunade, her face began to glow red. She couldn't believe that Tsunade had suggested such a thing, especially with them being so young.

Tsunade leaned back afterwards, she chuckled as she saw her blushing student; "Sakura trust me on this one. You need to take risks sometimes, and besides you need to go out and live a little. You need to have fun and do something bad every now and then. Also, Naruto will love this, trust me" she said with a wink.

Sakura gulped as impure thoughts surfaced on her head, she began to imagine what would happen if she did as Tsunade advised. After a while Sakura was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice some blood drip from her nose.

Tsunade smiled as she watched her student daydream, 'It looks like I got her, hook, line and sinker' she thought to herself.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The young Hokage had just returned to his home after a long day at work, he had a normal day in the office, and he was tired as usual. Right now it was late at night and Naruto was just about to get ready to sleep. He took off his Hokage attire and changed into a simple getup consisting of shorts and a plain shite shirt.

But before Naruto could jump into bed, he suddenly heard his doorbell. Naruto grumbled and walked over to his front door, 'What the hell is it now? I was just about to get my sleep as well, dammit' he thought as the door continued to ring more.

"Hold on will you, I'm on my way" he yelled clearly feeling irritated by the sudden disturbance.

Soon Naruto arrived in front of his door, he opened it with a scowl on his face wondering who would dare interrupt him at this moment. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, in front of him was the person he least expected to see.

"Sakura?"

"Naruto I need to talk to you"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Here is Chapter 10, I hope you guys like it. Sorry if I may have rushed the whole Sasuke part, but i just cannot be stuffed to write another fight scene, and also i'm done with the summit saga. I wanted to move on to something new for my story, but anyway thanks for reading this, the next chapter will also focus on the romantic subplot of my story so please stay tuned.


	11. Heaven and Earth

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey everyone back again this time with Chapter 11, for those who follow my story this chapter is finally the one with a lemon scene between Naruto and Sakura. So if you're not old enough to read that part or if you're not really interested for the pairing then you can skip it, aside from the romantic subplot it's not really vital for the story. Further in this chapter I reveal another one of the main pairings of my story, NejiHina.**

 **This might be somewhat controversial and stuff but I happen to like NejiHina so I decided to write about it, I'm also just going to reveal a few of the other pairings of my story right now, aside from NaruSaku and NejiHina, there will also be ShikaTema, ChoKarui, LeeTen, SasuKarin, KibaIno and GaaMatsu. I will also have a pairing for Kakashi but I won't reveal it because it might spoil a certain part of my story, all I have to say is that his pairing isn't really used that often so it's a bit unique. Anyway those are the rest of the pairings of my story, feel free to tell me what you think.**

 **Also by the way for those who haven't noticed yet, I changed my username. I don't really know why to be honest but I guess it was just for shits and gigs, or in other words I just felt like it. Anyway thanks for everyone who read this chapter and for those who follow this story, I really appreciate it. As per usual please favourite, follow or comment in my story if you haven't already, any form of constructive criticism is more than welcome here and do not hesitate to comment or even message me on the matter, same thing could be said about questions concerning my story, just comment or pm me and I will do my best to answer any of your questions. Thanks again everyone!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Heaven and Earth**

A sense of awkwardness surrounded the two teammates as they sat in the living room of the newly built mansion, at the moment the tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. The two could only stare at one another, not a single word was uttered by either of them. There was a growing sense of discomfort from Naruto, and a sense of apprehension for Sakura.

A good five minutes passed and still nothing happened, Sakura realized the situation at hand and so she began to steel her resolve, it was now or never.

The pink haired Kunoichi gulped before finally breaking the long awkward silence, "Naruto, I'm sorry" she blurted out.

Naruto's eyes widened fractionally for a second but then shook his head, "Sakura you don't have to apologize, could we just please forget it ever happened and move on" he stated, but she was having none of it.

"No Naruto we cannot just move on and forget about it, I fucked up and both of us know that. I could see it in your eyes, your still angry at me for the things I did, and to be honest I can't blame you. Looking back at it, I honestly have no idea what was going through my mind at the time. I've done many things in my past that I now regret, and most of them have something to do with you. What I did and the way I treated you was inexcusable and I didn't come here to make any excuses, I know full well that I was wrong and all I want is to make things right. From the bottom of my heart Naruto, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Naruto sighed in defeat, yes he still felt hurt after everything that transpired but he could never stay mad at Sakura. He showed no emotion and instead stood up from his seat, grabbing Sakura's attention, afterwards he walked over to the pink haired Kunoichi and placed a hand on her shoulder as he stood in front of her.

"Sakura I'm going to be honest with you, I was hurt and this wasn't just any other type of pain, this was gut wrenching for me. I never thought you would stoop so low and use my feelings for you to manipulate me. But just like you I've had time to think back and reflect, I don't like what you did but I guess I could understand things from your point of view" he replied.

Sakura stared at Naruto dumbfounded, "What are you trying to say Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto smiled warmly at Sakura, "What I'm trying to say is that I forgive you, Sakura-chan" he said.

Sakura was in shock, it was as if a massive burden had just been lifted. Her own guilt has been gnawing at her, and now it was all gone just like that. She never thought that those simple would affect her in such a manner, for the first time in a long time she felt free. Her bottom lip began to quiver while tears welled up in her eyes, now she was finally able to let everything go.

The Godaime's apprentice quickly stood up from her seat and engulfed Naruto in a hug, she cried on his chest the same way she did earlier today with Tsunade, the conversation she had with her teacher was enlightening, but the one she had with Naruto was uplifting.

Naruto was stunned by the sudden contact, the Hokage couldn't help but blush as he felt Sakura's embrace. After a while Naruto realized that Sakura was also crying, seeing that she was in need of comfort he held her close as well with his own embrace. He allowed her to cry on his shoulders, he knew that she had to let things go and he was more than willing to be her shoulder to cry on.

The two stayed like that for a few minutes, but once the two separated their eyes locked, cerulean met jade as they were both suddenly mesmerized by each other's gaze. Without thinking Sakura tiptoed and slowly leaned closer towards Naruto, and then she planted an unexpected kiss on his lips.

Naruto's eyes widened by the suddenness of it all, but his mind went blank as he melted into the kiss. Naruto had no idea what was going on at the moment, he needed to stop Sakura to get an explanation but it was easier said than done. This was like a dream come true for the young blonde, but unfortunately he knew that eventually all dreams had to end sometime.

Using all his willpower, Naruto managed to escape the kiss and push Sakura off, he held her by the elbows as he stared into her eyes, he demanded answers now.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Sakura was surprised by Naruto's decision to stop, but she knew that he at least deserved an explanation. She honestly had no idea what came over her but it wasn't like she regretted what she did. She hastily began to recall her conversation with Tsunade earlier that day, and it seemed that a confession was inevitable at this point.

"Sakura what was that for? Why'd you suddenly kiss me?" he continued to ask.

She slowly regained her composure as she stared at the young Hokage, "Naruto, I owe you an explanation" she exclaimed.

Naruto nodded dumbly, "Yeah you do. I mean what just happened? Why did you kiss me?" he replied clearly still feeling dumbfounded and dazed by the kiss.

"Naruto before I tell you my reasons, you need to promise me something"

"Sure Sakura whatever you need, just tell me please"

"Naruto this is serious, I need you to promise me that you will hear me out. Please allow me to explain my reasons"

Naruto nodded in response before staying silent to allow Sakura to explain the reasoning behind her kiss.

"I guess it all started with my talk with Shishou, we talked earlier today and I guess you could say she helped me realize certain things, matters of the heart I guess you could say. My talk with her was enlightening to say the least, she helped me resolve some issues and as cliché as it may sound she helped me see the light"

Naruto stared at her expressionless as he listened to every word, "And what is this epiphany all about?" he asked.

"It was about my feelings, she helped me realize my feelings" she said before gently placing a hand on Naruto's cheek, "It was about my feelings for you" she said.

Naruto's eyes widen as he stared at Sakura, he could see the love in her eyes but he could hear the sincerity of her words, but despite all this he still refused to believe. He has been hurt once already and he didn't want to be hurt this way again. He grabbed the hand on his cheek and pushed it off, shocking Sakura in the process.

"Sakura don't play with me, don't start this bullshit again. I just forgave you for the very same reason, I don't want my heartbroken again" he yelled angrily.

Sakura remained unfazed, she could understand why he felt this way. "Naruto don't you remember your promise, you agreed to hear me out" she calmly replied.

Naruto huffed in annoyance, he cursed knowing that he did indeed promise that. "Alright then Sakura go ahead" he said.

"I know I've said this before and I know you didn't believe me last time. But I am not lying to you this time, I do love you Naruto. I've been thinking about it all day, it has been occupying my mind all day. I know this may be quick and out of the blue but it is all true. The way I feel about you is so much more different than the way I felt about Sasuke, it's stronger and it's purer.

Naruto was touched by her statement but it wasn't enough for him to believe her, "How do I know you aren't lying again?" he asked hesitantly.

Sakura looked down ashamed of her past actions, "I know it's hard to believe me at this point, but I assure you that I am telling the truth. When I kissed you just now, that was my first kiss Naruto and I have no problem having you as my first kiss. Kami knows you deserve that and much more, you have always been there for me Naruto and you've always saved me from death and despair. You've brightened my life and you're even my inspiration to get stronger. I really do love you, and I'm not lying this time" she declared.

 **(Warning: Mature Content/Lemon Scene, if you don't want to read it then you can skip on ahead.)**

Naruto saw no lie in Sakura, this time he knew that she was telling the truth and he couldn't be happier. Being unable to control it any longer, he walked over to Sakura and gave her a passionate and heated kiss which she gladly returned. The two continued to kiss but after a while they both lost their balance, the pair fell on the floor but that did not stop them one bit, they continued to make out with Sakura on top of Naruto.

After a minute the two reluctantly broke off their kiss as the two gasped for air. After a while Sakura stared at Naruto lovingly, "Does this mean you believe me?" she asked.

Naruto smiled warmly, "I guess it does. But please Sakura, my heart is now fully yours, don't break it again" he said.

Sakura smiled brightly and nodded, "Don't worry Naruto, I'll never hurt you again" she said before initiating another kiss. This continued for a few more minutes, and both their hormones were getting the better of them, their lust was rising each and every second this continued. Naruto could barely hold it for any longer, but before things advanced he needed to know if she wanted this just as much as he did.

With all his remaining strength he stopped the kiss and stared at the pink haired Kunoichi, "Sakura tell me now, do you want this continue? I can barely hold it any longer and if this keeps up and I now that I won't be able to control myself. I want to know if you really want this to happen" he said.

Sakura smiled knowing that even in a situation such as this Naruto was still looking out for her best interests, but she wanted this just as much as Naruto, she couldn't resist it any longer either. But Naruto's gentlemanly display earned him a few brownie points in her eyes.

"Yes Naruto, I want this to happen" she said.

Naruto gave her a foxy smile as he stood up from the floor, Sakura was confused at first but she shrieked in surprise once Naruto suddenly grabbed her. The young Hokage carried Sakura bridal style up his case of stairs, the two seemed like a newlywed couple.

Naruto carried her to his bedroom where he gently laid her in his king sized bed, he soon joined her as they continued where they left off a while ago. The young Hokage slowly and intricately placed butterfly kissed along Sakura's neck, the Godaime's apprentice moaned in satisfaction as a result.

Naruto then stopped his playful ministrations as he slowly began to take off his haori and shirt, Sakura did the same by taking off her own shirt. The two remained in the same position but they were now topless, the only remaining thing clothing Sakura's upper body was her red lacy bra.

The two then admired each other's bodies, Naruto was at a loss for words as he noticed Sakura's slim and athletic figure. Her body may not have been as curvaceous or well-endowed but to him she was the definition of perfection.

Sakura was also amazed by Naruto's tremendous physique and chiselled muscles, she hadn't expected this one bit due to the amount of junk food he ate in a regular basis, but then again with the amount of training Naruto did it should have come as no surprise. Sakura had no complains whatsoever, as far she was concerned he was perfect. Her eyes continued to roam the young Hokage's body, but after a while she gasped in horror once it landed at one particular area.

Naruto heard his lover's gasp, he examined the woman before him and he wondered what she was fearful about, he could see that her eyes were glued at one general direction. He looked to see where her gaze was directed and he noticed that it was on the massive scar on the left side of his chest. It was the same scar from his battle with Sasuke in the Valley of the End, the wound was healed by the Kyuubi but for some reason the scar remained.

Sakura reached out to caress the scar, "This scar is all my fault, you have this scar because of me" she said solemnly. She knew what the scar was for, there was only one possible explanation; it was a Chidori wound. A battle scar Naruto suffered for her and that damned Promise of a Lifetime. She had read over the reports of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission and she knew the damage Sasuke left on Naruto, but to see it upfront in such a clear view just made her shudder in fear. If Sasuke's attack actually hit Naruto's heart, then this moment right now may have never happened.

Naruto saw the saddened expression on her face, "This isn't your fault Sakura, this was Sasuke's doing" he said in a comforting tone.

The Godaime's apprentice shook her head, "This is my fault Naruto. You had to suffer because of my stupid fucking promise, we could've avoided all of this but I was too…." Before she could finish Naruto silenced her with a softly planted kiss. Unlike the passionate ones earlier on, this was a small innocent one just to silence her.

Naruto slowly grabbed Sakura's right arm, he ran his hand across the large scar on her arm this time; "The scar on my chest is not your fault, but the scar I left on your arm is my biggest regret. I cannot stand ever hurting you" he said in sorrow.

"This wasn't your fault either Naruto, this was the Kyuubi's fault"

"Yeah but I could've controlled my anger, I could've stopped myself from using the fox's power"

Sakura saw the disheartened expression on his face and she realized that the two of them had to stop dwelling over the past. She leaned closer to Naruto's chest and began to place small kisses on his scar.

Naruto was surprised by Sakura's actions, "What are you doing?" he asked.

Sakura stopped and glanced at her new lover, "We've both hurt each other Naruto, and we've both been hurt. I think it's time for us to move on and heal each other's wounds" she said.

Naruto chuckled, "I guess your right Sakura-chan" he replied with a soft and loving smile on his face.

"Naruto I'm always right, now how about we continue where we left off and could you help me off my skirt please" she said in a playful tone.

The blonde nodded and slowly pulled down Sakura's shirt, he noticed Sakura's matching red panties and blushed as he continued. Once he took off Sakura's clothes he stood away from the bed admiring Sakura's almost nude form. He soaked it all in and to him she looked beautiful, in his eyes she was an angel sent from heaven.

Naruto was broken from his reverie once he noticed Sakura leave the bed, he just watched as she strutted his way. She then placed both her hands on the garter of the Hokage's pants and pulled them down leaving him in just his underwear, she then leaned closer to his ear, "Now were even" she whispered seductively before returning to the bed.

She laid on the bed suggestively before urging Naruto to join her, the blonde Jinchuuriki was more than happy to follow. He walked over and laid on top of the pink haired Kunoichi, then he planted a trail of kisses around her neck, Sakura whimpered his name as the pleasure she felt increased.

Sakura moaned Naruto's name that whole time, the Hokage continued to kiss, nip and softly bite her neck effectively pleasuring her in the process. She knew that she was going to get a hickey from this, but she didn't even care anymore. The pleasure was too much for Sakura, during that whole ordeal she hadn't even noticed Naruto's hands slipping down her back trying to remove her bra.

It wasn't until Naruto stopped his kisses and threw her bra away that she noticed what he did, she looked up to see the smug grin on his face as he stared at her small breasts, she blushed in response at the attention she was getting.

Naruto was simply astonished by the sight before him, just being with Sakura made him feel like a virgin again. He was nervous, excited anxious and happy all at the same time, she just had this effect on him ever since. He began to breathe deeply as he leaned closer to Sakura's ear to whisper something, "Sakura-chan just sit back and enjoy" he said in a husky tone while slightly nibbling on her earlobe.

He slid down lower and lower down her body until he faced her lower regions, he could see that she was damp at that area this showed him that she wanted it just as much as he did at the moment, he placed one hand on the garter of her red lacy underwear, and he slowly pulled them down leaving her at last in her natural form. Naruto gulped nervously as he saw her vagina for the very first time, the area surrounding it was mostly cleanly shaved but there was a small tuft of pink hair remaining.

'I guess the carpets match the drape' he silently thought to himself.

His eyes stayed glued to that particular area but he spared a couple of seconds to see Sakura's reaction, from what he saw she as red as a tomato. He then moved closer and closer to her sex until her was facing it directly, Sakura shuddered in excitement and anticipation as she felt his breath tickle her pink lower lips.

Then her eyes widened in sheer pleasure, the young girl cried out in enjoyment as she felt a small kiss being placed on her vagina, Naruto smiled at her reaction. He loved making her cry out his name like that, he continued this foreplay by licking her sweet pussy while savouring her taste.

Sakura screamed Naruto's name to the heavens, she placed both her hands on the back of Naruto's head grabbing a while fist of his hair while pushing him closer and closer to her exposed sex. Sakura loved what Naruto was doing to her, she has never felt such a strange and powerful sensation before, if foreplay with Naruto already felt this good she could only wonder how the real thing felt.

Naruto continued his actions, but soon after he knew it was time to take it up a notch. Without warning he slowly inserted one of his fingers in and out of Sakura, the Godaime's apprentice gasped in shock by the sudden intrusion, but she welcomed it nonetheless. The Hokage pleasured her using his tongue and fingers, soon after a while a second finger was added effectively helping Sakura cope and stretch for what was soon to come.

Minutes soon passed, Sakura was getting closer and closer to limit. With one final lick, she couldn't handle it anymore, her body began to shake as she screamed in pleasure. Sakura came on Naruto's mouth, the young Hokage was surprised at first but then continued to lick her clean.

Sakura was flushed and breathing deeply, she was at a loss for words at what had just happened. She saw Naruto standing up from his position licking his fingers, she blushed in embarrassment at seeing him lick up her juices.

The pink haired Kunoichi saw the young Hokage approaching her, she decided to catch him off guard as she quickly pushed her luscious lips against his. She could taste herself from the kiss, but at the moment she didn't care for that one bit, in fact it may have even slightly turned her on. Sakura moaned during their kiss as Naruto reached out and grabbed her ass with his left hand while using his other hand to massage her exposed breast.

Naruto ran his hand across Sakura's ass and thigh, while using his other to play with both of Sakura's breasts, soon enough both her nipples were erect. Naruto broke off the kiss, much to Sakura's disappointment, but he hastily directed his attention instead to Sakura's chest. He placed his entire mouth on her right breast, he then went on to suckle and lick his lover's nipples while using his left hand to massage the other one.

She continued to cry out in pleasure, but despite feeling so good she was also feelings slightly guilty. So far this whole experience has been dedicated to her, she decided it was time for Naruto to feel good. Reaching out to his head, she pushed him off her breasts, she looked at the surprised expression on Naruto's face but she knew that he was going to love this.

Naruto stood away from the edge of the bed wondering what Sakura was doing, the pink haired Kunoichi walked up to the young Hokage, Sakura now stood in front of him face to face. He saw the sexy grin on her face, and he was dying to know what she planned on doing. Soon though his eyes widen in shock once he sees her descend into a kneeling position, he now realized what was happening.

Despite Sakura acting confident earlier on, in truth she was a bit scared. This was her first time handling doing something like this and she didn't know what to do in such a situation, at the moment she was going off instinct. She bit her lower lip as she stared at the large tent in front of her, she gulped nervously before grabbing the garter of Naruto's underwear and finally pulling it down. She gasped in shock as Naruto's penis sprung forth fully erect, she hadn't seen a penis that big before. From her estimations it was around roughly eight or nine inches long, being a medic and doctor herself she has seen her fair share of genitalia, but from what she's seen so far Naruto was the most impressive in both size and girth.

"You like what you see?" Naruto asked in a smug and proud tone.

Sakura nodded, "Naruto you're huge" she exclaimed, the Hokage blushed and chuckled as a response. In the back of Sakura's mind she was slightly fearful just looking at Naruto's rod, she wondered how she could fit that thing inside of her.

She breathed in for what was to come, she gently placed both her hands around Naruto's length, and then she began to pump them back and forth. From this position she managed get a longer and clearer view on the penis, the area surrounding Naruto's organ was also neatly trimmed.

The pink haired Kunoichi continued her actions, she could hear Naruto grunt and moan, and she couldn't help but feel happy at how she was managing to pleasure Naruto. After a while she noticed a strange liquid appear from the tip of Naruto's cock, she inspected closer and saw it was his precum. Once Sakura noticed this she began to feel more and more daring each passing second, wanting to surprise Naruto she leaned closer and licked the precum of the tip of his penis.

Naruto's body shook due to the sudden emergence of pleasure, he continued to grunt in pleasure as soon as Sakura started licking the tip of his member, and he had to admit she was quickly getting the hang of this.

Sakura glanced up from the position she was in and she inwardly smiled upon seeing Naruto lean his head backwards as the pleasure she induced shook him to his very core. This time however, Sakura now wanted to make Naruto squirm, she relaxed her throat as she slowly inserted Naruto's member into her mouth.

Naruto's eyes began to roll to the back of his head, the sensation he was currently feeling was indescribable. He could feel his member slowly but surely reaching deeper and deeper into her mouth and later on to her throat. The process was unrushed, Naruto knew that this was going to be difficult for Sakura and he had to admit, she was doing very well.

Seconds later Sakura finally managed to reach the end, she was gagging as a result of Naruto's length, but for her it was worth it. The taste was strange, but if Naruto was enjoying himself then she had no problem doing this for him. She held the position she was in to further pleasure Naruto, then Sakura began to feel a hand holding the back of her head. She knew it was Naruto's, and slowly he pulled her off to give her a breather, then the process started once again. Sakura continued to deep throat Naruto, the tempo was slow at first but soon it picked up the pace.

The woman was driving Naruto crazy, she used all she could to pleasure him. Aside from the sucking and licking, she also used her hands to massage his both his member and testicles. Throughout that time Naruto moaned Sakura's name, he couldn't believe what was happening to him. Never in a million years did he ever think that he would see one of his wet dreams ever being true, and now it was unfolding before his very eyes.

'Kami, I'm the luckiest man on earth' he said to himself.

Then the Hokage's eyes began to widen as he felt a familiar sensation erupting, "Sakura I'm coming" he said.

Sakura heard this and began to intensify her ministrations, she wanted to taste him like the way he tasted her. She began to bob her head as she sucked Naruto off, she could hear her lover let out a manly and primal groan and soon she released himself inside her mouth. A wave of his sticky cum erupted in her mouth, tears appeared at the edge of her eyes as she did her best to swallow the large amounts of sperm. The taste was bitter, but despite that she didn't necessarily like it nor did she hate it, in fact she was willing to do this again.

Naruto's breathing became heavy, he looked down to watch Sakura lick her fingers and lips to clean herself from his seed, and he was aroused by that kinky sight. Once Sakura was finished cleaning herself up she looked back at Naruto's member, she gasped in surprise upon seeing Naruto remain stiff and erect.

'Oh Kami does his stamina carry on to this as well, I may have just hit the jackpot' she thought to herself.

Sakura was then brought off her reverie as she was lifted into the air, Naruto leaned down to grab her by the ass and carried her to his eye level, and he then smashed his lips onto hers to kiss her as a sign of his thanks. She returned the kiss and wrapped both her legs around his waist in order to support herself, from that position she could feel Naruto's erect penis rubbing and grinding itself between her two legs. Now that the foreplay was over, there was only one thing left to do.

She broke off the kiss and whispered to Naruto's ear, "I want you Naruto, I need you inside me now" she said.

Naruto nodded and walked over to the bed and gently placed her there as if she was a porcelain doll, he then grabbed his cock and aligned it to Sakura's vagina before inching closer and closer to the entrance. The anticipation was killing them, time seemed to stop as Naruto inched closer and closer to the promise land.

"Naruto wait" yelled Sakura.

The Hokage was broken from his concentration as he stared at Sakura, he felt nervous that he may have scared her off. But his fears were quickly forgotten as she leaned over and gave him an innocent peck on the lips.

"Naruto, please be gentle this is my first time" she declared meekly.

The young Hokage was shocked, "This is your first time?" he asked.

Sakura bit her lower lip and nodded slowly, "Yes Naruto, you're going to be my first. I want you to have this honour because I love you, and this is my way of showing you that my love is genuine and real" she replied.

Naruto smiled at her, "Well I am honoured Sakura-chan, you do not know how happy I am knowing that I'll be your first. I promise to be gentle" he said.

Sakura nodded her head, "Yes Naruto I'm sure, but is this your first time?" she asked nervously.

Naruto's eyes widened as he gulped in fear, he stared at Sakura and the silence just said it all, Sakura's bottom lip began to tremble as she realized that she was not going to be Naruto's first.

The Hokage looked down ashamed, "No Sakura-chan, I'm sorry but this is not my first time" he answered.

Sakura's heart sank upon hearing the dreaded news, tears slowly rolled down her cheek. She didn't want to know specifics about Naruto's escapades, but a part of her couldn't help but ask, she was slightly masochistic that way.

"Who were they?" she asked in between small sobs.

Naruto knew there was no getting out of this and that the best way to deal with this was through honesty, "You wouldn't know them Sakura-chan, most of them were during my travels with Jiraiya and a few since my return to Konoha, all in all probably around twelve or fifteen" he answered truthfully.

Sakura was shocked, she hadn't expected Naruto to have that much experience but then again training with the biggest pervert in the world he was sure to gain some experience. Sakura was still hurt by this revelation, she wanted to be Naruto's first so bad but she realized that in a small sense this may have been her fault to begin with.

Naruto saw Sakura weeping and he only wanted to comfort her, "Sakura-chan I'm sorry for this, but I swear to you none of them ever meant anything to me. They were just flings here and there, there was no love involved with them, but with you there is. I'm not going to lie Sakura, I've slept, fucked and had sex with girls before, but never in my life have I ever made love with a women, you'll be my first in that regard because I love you too Sakura-chan" he said in a sincere tone.

Sakura began to tear up because of Naruto's emotional statement, she began to wipe her tears away, "I'm not going to lie; I am a bit disappointed and sad but not at you Naruto, I'm mad at myself. In a way I guess this could have been avoided, I should have followed my feelings earlier on and I should have snatched you up sooner then maybe all of that will have never happened" she confessed.

Naruto was thankful that she was not mad, he gave her another passionate kiss before finally preparing to take her innocence. He laid on top of Sakura before aligning himself to Sakura's wet entrance, the two were face to face in their position being separated only by a few centimetres. Naruto stared at Sakura and he saw her nod her head as a sign of confirmation.

Naruto then slowly inserted himself into Sakura's vagina, the pink haired Kunoichi gasped as she felt the large invader stretching her inner walls. The Hokage's jaw was clenching, the tightness of Sakura was maddening, he never felt such pleasure before, though he did make sure not to rush himself as he promised to gentle on her. From his view, the Hokage could also see Sakura struggling to adjust to his size, he could see the pain and pleasure she felt at that very moment.

Sakura was moaning as Naruto's member dived deeper and deeper inside of her, both their eyes soon widened as Naruto's penis was stopped by her barrier. Naruto felt the ultimate symbol of her innocence, the both of them knew that Naruto had to push through if they were to continue and that the experience itself was painful.

"Are you sure you want to do this Sakura-chan?"

Yes Naruto, please just do it with one strong push, it'll be faster and easier that way"

Naruto nodded and quickly pushed through her barrier until he fully sheathed himself inside of her, he heard her loud screams as the pain of losing her innocence took full effect. He moaned in pleasure but then he saw the tears pouring down her face, and he hated seeing them, he just hated hurting her in general. He began to use his thumbs to wipe away her tears, while he whispered words of comforts in her ears. Sakura was thankful for Naruto's patience with her, along with his compassion, she knew she chose the right man for her.

They stayed in that position for a minute as Sakura adjusted to Naruto's size, it was quite difficult considering the fact that he was larger than most. The loss of her hymen was painful, but the experience was more than worth it. Sakura no longer felt like a little girl, now she saw herself as a true woman, and Naruto a man. The connection the two had now was much deeper than before, their relationship now progressed into this phase and to the both of them being in this position just felt right, they felt complete. Naruto experienced sex many times before, but his time with Sakura so far has blown everything else out of the water.

Sakura then finally believed it was time to continue where they left off, "Naruto, I think I'm ready now, you can move" she said.

Naruto was more than happy to do so, he began to thrust himself in and out of her. Sakura's cries were now louder and more passionate, the pleasure she felt from this far outweighed the pleasure she felt earlier on, hell it wasn't even a comparison.

During the heat of the moment, Sakura instinctively grabbed Naruto's muscular back and clawed at it as he pump himself inside of her. Naruto didn't even notice the pain, he was too focused at making love to Sakura.

He began to grunt and moan in pleasure as Sakura did the same, soon though he even growled in an animalistic way. Naruto didn't manage to notice his own growl, but Sakura sure did and she found it extremely sexy.

"Naruto fuck me please" she said in between moans.

As soon as she said that, he began to increase the pace and intensity of his thrusts, Sakura began to scream in delight as the pleasure was increased twofold. Their lovemaking increased into new heights, Naruto could also feel Sakura's inner walls tightening making the experience that much better.

"Naruto fuck me harder" she said screamed.

Once again Naruto complied further increasing the power and speed of his thrusts, the two of them continued to moan and scream as this continued. Naruto smiled widely as he saw the effect he had on Sakura, he could see the clear pleasure she was feeling at this very moment. He kissed her once more as they continued their lovemaking, their tongues battled for dominance while Naruto's penis pounded Sakura's tight cunt.

After a while, Sakura's walls began to convulse, she came on Naruto's penis. Naruto felt all of this and smirked, he continued to pump himself in and out of Sakura as he prolonger her enjoyment. Soon though he began to feel himself getting closer to finishing as well.

"Oh Kami Sakura-chan this feels so good, I'm about to come" he said.

"Come inside me" she replied huskily.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, he wasn't able to answer as he felt himself almost about to come, in order to be on the safe side he tried to pull out of Sakura's vagina but before he could so he felt Sakura's legs wrap themselves around his waist effectively keeping him on his position. No longer being able to keep it in any longer, he released his seed inside of Sakura. The two lovers moaned in joy as the warm substance flooded Sakura's vagina. Both were now out of breath, Naruto fell on top of Sakura with both their bodies sticky and sweaty from their actions.

But then Naruto realized the gravity of the situation, "Sakura-chan, I just came inside of you, what if I get you pregnant?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled softly, "Naruto I wanted you to come inside me, you don't have to worry anyway. I could use a contraception jutsu so there is no need to worry" she replied.

 **(Lemon End: There it is over, this pretty much just focused on the romantic aspect of the story so if you skipped it you didn't really miss that much then)**

Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief, he looked at her and smiled warmly, both of them were exhausted from their lovemaking. The Hokage stared at his new lover adoringly, no words were needed to express their love for each other.

He then suddenly felt sleep begin to overtake him, he yawned as result as his vision became dazed. Sakura too was getting tired, this day itself has been eventful for her to say the least.

But before Naruto went to sleep, he unsheathed himself off Sakura and grabbed the blanket to cover their naked bodies. The two cuddled and faced each other, both had a content and loving smile adorning their faces.

Naruto felt his eyes begin to flicker, but before he slept he needed to do one last thing, "I really love you Sakura-chan, now that I have you I will never let you go" he said.

He then leaned closer to her and kissed the diamond mark on her forehead, "You have a wide and charming forehead, I've always wanted to kiss it" he mumbled softly.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, she knew she heard that somewhere before. Those were the same words Sasuke told her the day they became a team, she quickly soon realized that it wasn't Sasuke all this time, it seemed too odd for Sasuke to do such a thing.

She looked back at Naruto with a blush adorning her cheeks, she was happy to hear Naruto's words as it only strengthened their relationship, just by hearing those words she knew that the man in front of her was the one for her.

Unfortunately though he was already asleep, the blonde was drooling on the pillow and snoring softly. Sakura rolled her eyes, before leaning close and innocently kissing Naruto on the lips, "Sleep tight, my sweet Naruto-kun, tomorrow will be a new and great day for the two of us" she said before also succumbing to sleep.

* * *

 **With Hiashi**

"Neji I need you to do something for me"

"What is it Hiashi-sama?"

Hiashi shook his head, "I think it's time that you stop addressing me as Hiashi-sama, from now on I guess you could just refer to me as uncle" he suggested.

Neji nodded accordingly, "Of course Hiashi-sa…err I mean uncle. So what is it you need…uncle?" he asked feeling slightly weirded out by the new manner in which he addressed the Hyuga Patriarch. For so long he was accustomed to referring to his uncle in such a formal and dignified manner, and now he wanted it changed to suit something more familial and casual.

"Neji I need you to find Hinata and Hanabi, the four of us need to talk about something, this is very important" he said with a sense of urgency.

"Alright uncle, I'll find Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama".

Hiashi nodded and waited a bit longer until Neji went ahead, once he was gone Hiashi waited in his office until the family meeting commenced. During that silent and slow wait, Hiashi began to ponder about the recent events of the past days, with the elders of the Hyuga Clan out of the way, the clan was now able to evolve without being restricted by their strict traditions. Seeing Naruto act the way he did as their leader also instilled hope in him for the future generation, he believed much like Konoha it was also time for the Hyuga Clan to be given a chance to evolve and progress into some new.

The Hyuga patriarch was soon broken off his reverie as he sensed the arrival of three new chakra signatures, he composed himself before heading to the living room, once there he was pleased to see his two daughters and his nephew all gathered there for this meeting. He walked over to his personal seat in the living room as the three youngsters all watched him intently.

"As all of you know we are here for a family meeting and I have important news to tell the three of you. For the past few days I have pondered about my future and the future of our clan, seeing the events which transpired a few days ago, I've come to the conclusion that the Hyuga Clan needs a fresh start. A new start away from our old traditional ways, and to start off with this I've decided to finally appoint my successor as the Clan Head" he declared causing the three to gasp in shock.

Neji and Hinata both looked at Hanabi feeling as though she was the preferred choice for that role, and honestly Hinata had no problem with it whatsoever. She knew about her shortcomings and she didn't feel particularly suited for the role of clan head, she believed that Hanabi was the obvious choice.

Hiashi breathed in deeply before breaking the news, "My choice for my successor will be Neji" he declared proudly.

Neji, Hinata and Hanabi were all rendered speechless by Hiashi's bold declaration. Neji's eyes were widened in shock and his mouth was left agape, Hiashi chuckled and rolled his eyes at the reaction made by the three.

After a few moments Neji finally broke the award silence, "But wait why me? Why now?" he frantically asked.

Hiashi placed a hand on his nephew's shoulders and looked the young man eye to eye, "I decided it was time for a change because after I saw the elders being brought away by the ANBU, I saw an opportunity for our clan to finally evolve without our usual traditional restrictions. The Hyuga Clan needs to reform itself and turn over a new leaf, and I believe that our clan needs a new person to lead this reform. This gives the clan an opportunity to start anew, much like how the village started anew after the recent invasion, and leading this new Konoha is our new Rokudaime Hokage. This is a time of change, and I believe you are the man for the job" he answered in a somewhat fatherly tone unfamiliar to Neji.

"What made you suddenly make this important decision? Surely this wasn't spontaneous"

Hiashi sighed deeply, "In a way it is somewhat spontaneous. I'm going to be honest with you three, I've been growing tired having to deal with all these clan politics day in and day out. In short, I'm getting too old for this shit" he replied causing the three too look at him in surprise.

"Sorry for swearing kids but that's just really how I feel at the moment. I've grown too tired of this and I've lost my motivation to carry on. For the longest time the elders restricted my powers and privileges among the clan, for any act or law I wanted to enforce within the clan I first needed to consult the elders for their views on it. For years I tried to fight them on certain subjects but as time went by I made no progress, eventually I just lost the morale and inspiration required to carry on"

Neji nodded in understanding, "I see, but that doesn't mean I'm a good candidate for the job uncle. I don't think I'm ready and I don't think I have the experience just yet. Besides how will the others react when they find out their new leader will be a member of the Branch Family, I think my authority might just be undermined by most if that was the case."

"This is where you're wrong Neji, you are the right man for this job. As I said before this clan needs to evolve and progress past these traditions restricting our development. With the elders out of the way, the clan head is now given full reign and while I'm still clan head for the meantime I can choose to do whatever I want as long as it is within reason of course. But also since the elders are gone, there is no longer any need for their approval on certain matters. I've been fighting against them for the past three years for our clan to abolish the Branch Family and Main Family segregation, but they would never hear out my argument as they were too caught up with our age old traditions. Another reason I chose you to be my successor is because of the symbolic effect it has, this will show the true abolishment of our clan's old traditions, and your appointment as my successor will stand to symbolize the birth of the new Hyuga Clan"

Neji just remained silent as he instead studied the possible effects this will have on the clan and his life, just a few days ago having a Branch Family member as the leader of the Hyuga Clan was unthinkable, and now the current Clan Head planned on making him his successor despite him being from the Branch Family. Neji could certainly see the positives this could bring, it would not only serve as a symbol of unity but it would also be a wakeup call for the other clansmen to show them the new evolving philosophies and views of their clan.

He was still unsure of what to do, he could see the positives and negatives from choosing to accept Hiashi's offer. Instead to give himself some more insight, he apologetically looked at Hinata and Hanabi, "Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama can I please ask for your opinions on this matter?" he asked.

Hinata answered first as she stuttered out her response, "I think you should do it Neji-niisan, you'll make a great leader I believe in you" she suggested in a sweet and innocent tone.

Neji nodded and looked at Hanabi anticipating her answer, the little girl shrugged nonchalantly, "Do whatever you want" she replied in an emotionless tone. Hiashi watched his younger daughter's reaction and frowned, he could see her disappointment, she was doing her best to hide it but he could tell that she was holding it all deep within. Hiashi felt a bit sympathetic for his daughters, he trained them for years to become the clan heads and then out of nowhere neither of them were chosen, and instead it was their cousin.

Neji continued to ponder both sides of the decision, but he was soon after broken off his reverie once Hiashi started speaking again, "There is one other reason I chose you. It's because I wanted to make things right with you Neji, and I wanted to make things right with my brother Hizashi, your father. Before he died he saw the potential in you, he was angry at me and the main branch for limiting your potential all because of your birth. He saw something in you that could manifest itself into something great, and so because of this he always wished for you to someday be the new clan head. But seeing as how you were a member of the Branch Family, you were never even given a fighting chance. But I'm not only doing this because of the obligation I have to you and Hizashi, I am also choosing you because I see the same potential Hizashi saw in you, and it is the potential to be great" he added on.

Neji began to tear up a bit but he did his best to hide those tears, the mention of his father always brought tears to his eyes. He never knew his father for too long but he always knew that his father deeply cared for him, and after hearing just how highly his father thought of him his heart soared.

After having thought of all the pros and cons of this life changing decision, Neji finally made his choice, "Alright uncle, I'll do it" he answered with a firm resolve.

Hiashi clapped his hands, "Excellent, this is great news. But you won't have to worry about your inexperience for this position. I can train and teach you everything that you will need to know if you are to become the new clan head of the Hyuga Clan. I also don't mind continuing as clan head for a few more weeks at least until you are deemed fully ready for the position. What do you think?"

Neji nodded in agreement, "I think that's a good idea, at least this will buy me some time before then" he added.

Hiashi agreed, "We'll also keep this a secret until the time I deem you worthy to take my place, and do not fret the requirements for my training mainly consists of studying, usually when I train my successors I also train them in combat but at this moment we are practically at the same level. I am confident that there is nothing left that I could probably train you in when it comes to combat" the Hyuga Patriarch explained.

Neji deep down inside was flattered to hear how his uncle regarded his strength to be around his own level, the clan knew full well that Hiashi was the strongest Hyuga within the clan, and to be considered to be on par as him was an absolute compliment.

"Okay Neji, once you are announced as my successor what will be your first decree?"

"That's easy uncle, first thing I would do is completely abolish the separation between the Main and Branch Family, and there is no need for this segregation. I will merge both families and I will have all the Caged Bird Seals removed from each Branch Family Member. The Caged Bird Seal will also be banned from our clan, it has hurt enough people as it is."

"Well spoken, Neji. I actually have a suggestion for you. Why don't we also have another even to commemorate this event, your induction will symbolize the birth of the new Hyuga Clan. We could also set up another event after your induction, this time this will symbolize newfound unity within the clan. I suggest we do both and this could go and show the people of our clan that time is changing" he suggested.

Neji raised a single eyebrow trying to think of what his uncle had in mind, "So what's this event you speak of, uncle?" he asked.

Hiashi had to hold back a cough as he continually switched his attention from his nephew to his oldest daughter, "The event I had in mind was actually a political marriage" confessed the Head of the Hyuga Clan.

Neji complexion grew pale at the prospect of marriage at such an early age, "Who do you plan on even having me marry?" he asked out of curiosity.

Hiashi chuckled softly before turning his head to his older daughter, Hinata blushed and let out a small squeal, "Neji I was planning on having you marry my daughter" he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Neither of the three kids could comprehend just how calmly he said that sentence.

Neji blushed profusely, in truth he has a massive crush on Hinata but he never thought that he stood chance knowing how much she loved Naruto. Despite her love for Naruto, Neji still held no ill thoughts about the blonde Jinchuuriki, but he had to admit he was jealous at times. Neji could barely remember when he began to adopt these feelings for his cousin but he did know that it dated back to his genin days, roughly around the time of the Chunin Exams. He just wasn't aware of the exact details. But despite Neji's major crush on Hinata, he never made a move and instead he always acted as the overprotective big brother to Hinata, he tried as hard as he can to bury his feelings down to the ground because he never thought that they would ever work out, with him being a member of the Branch Family and her being the daughter of the clan's head.

Neji shook his heads off those memories and thoughts, he glanced towards Hinata for a second and both made direct eye contact causing the two of them to suddenly blush and look away at Hiashi instead.

"I suggested for a few reasons as well Neji, all my decisions have multiple reasons behind them. First off the union of the both of you will symbolize all the ideals and values of the new Hyuga Clan, just imagine how people will react seeing their leader coming from the Branch Family, marrying my daughter who just happens to be from the Main branch. This might be a much needed culture shock for our clan, we need to show them the ways of old are over and done with, we need to show them that we are in a new era for the clan".

"As for the second reason I suggested this, I just want the both of you to be happy" he said in straightforward manner, gaining surprised looks from the two teenagers.

"What do you mean by that tou-san?" asked HInata.

"I suggested this because I know the both of you could be happy together, I know about your feelings for the Hokage but I believe it's also time for you to move on. I trust Neji with my life and I trust him with yours as well, I know he'll take care of you. Plus you may not know this Hinata, but Neji is also quite infatuated with you"

Both Neji and Hinata's eyes widened, Neji pointed at his uncle accusingly, "How did you know about that?" he asked in between nervous stutters.

"I've seen the way you look at my daughter, Neji. I had the same look when it came to my wife" he answered in a melancholic tone. The topic of Hiashi's wife, Hitomi was usually a taboo subject. Hitomi was the mother of both Hinata and Hanabi, the former was said to have inherited more of her mother's personality rather than her father's. Hiashi loved her very much and the couple spent many years together since their own arranged marriage. The birth of Hanabi was considered in some ways both good and bad, well in the sense that on one hand Hanabi was born as a perfectly healthy baby girl, on the other hand Hitomi also passed away giving birth to Hanabi. Where Hiashi lost a wife, he gained a daughter, neither he nor Hinata blamed Hanabi for Hitomi's death but they always wished that she was still alive to witness the two girls growing up.

Hinata decided to change the topic before things got too depressing, she looked at Neji and began to wonder if what her father said was true.

"Neji did you really like me as father said? And if you did why didn't you say so earlier?" she asked in curiosity.

Neji gulped nervously before addressing her concerns, "Yes all that he said was true. I didn't tell you before because I thought you were in love with Naruto, and to be honest if you had chosen Naruto then I would still be happy for you. I didn't mind just as long as you were happy then I had no complaints. But as for this marriage proposal I don't want to put you in the spot Hinata-sama so I won't force you to agree. I'd understand whatever decision you choose, and I will continue to stand by your side nonetheless" he answered in a warm and loving tone.

Hinata's bottom lip quivered as she failed to hold back her tears, "I'm sorry Neji-niisan, had I known about this then maybe…"

"Hinata-sama come on now stop, there's no need to cry. You are at no way at fault for anything so please don't feel bad. Like I said I won't force you into this marriage proposal, just let me know what you think and no matter what answer you make I will fully understand" he said.

Hinata wiped the tears away from her face and nodded, she began to think about the current situation about the marriage and she had to admit that she didn't know how she really felt about Neji. She had just gotten over Naruto recently and she wasn't sure if she could develop those same feelings for Neji, yes she loved him but it was more of a brotherly love. She didn't know if her love towards Neji could someday evolve into something much more, she wasn't sure if she would ever truly reciprocate Neji's feelings towards her.

She pondered about the situation, she knew the political and societal benefits of this arranged marriage and so she decided to focus more on the romantic aspect of the arrangement. She accepted the truth about her and Naruto's relationship, she was content with them just being friends, she knew full well that Naruto's heart was already held by a certain pink haired Kunoichi and she was perfectly fine with that. Since Naruto nobody has really interested her in a romantic sense, but then she recalled all her good memories with Neji. She knew that Neji would take care for her, since their fight during the Chunin Exams he began to pamper her with love. Even though she nearly died during that event, she held no anger at Neji for what he did, she completely understood his perspective at the time.

She was also aware that she and Neji worked well together, they had perfect chemistry with each other when it came to missions and fights, she just wasn't sure if that would replicate itself to romance. Then Hinata thought about another glaring factor, this marriage was technically incest.

In the ninja world, incest wasn't necessarily taboo, this is a practice done by many clans over the years. This may seem strange to normal citizens, but clans from all across the world used inbreeding to maintain their clan's secrets or Kekkei Genkai. Among the clans of Konoha there have two to practice this, they were the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans. They used this so that their Dojutsu would solely remain in the clan's hands, for the Hyuga this method was mainly only used for the Main Family though seeing as how the Branch Family were unfortunately given the Caged Bird Seal to restrict their Byakugan. In a sense this wasn't frowned upon among the clans and the society, and Hinata was also aware that her parents were also related, she knew that they were cousins as well just like her and Neji.

The Hyuga Princess continued to give this arrangement more thought, after a few minutes of thoughtful silence she finally managed to make her decision. She thought of all the consequences for this marriage, both good and bad, she took everything into consideration and with all of her inner questions settled her choice was done. The pale eyed girl walked over to her cousin so that she could give her answer face to face. Hinata arrived to stand face to face with Neji, "I've made my decision" she declared as Hanabi and Hiashi also both listened intently.

"I've decided to agree to this marriage proposal. If this is really what's best for our clan then I am willing to do this…" but before she could continue Neji grabbed her two shoulders and shook her softly to stop her from continuing.

The Hyuga Princess looked up and saw Neji shaking his head, "No Hinata-sama I don't want you to make this decision for my sake, or because of your obligation to the clan. This may sound cliché but I want you to follow your heart. This is a life changing decision and I want you to make the decision for yourself and not for me or the clan" he said in a sincere tone.

Hinata smiled softly feeling grateful for Neji's selflessness, this earned him a few brownie points in her book. While Neji continued to make his case, she quickly leaned over to give him a small kiss, a small peck on the lips. It only lasted for a second but when the two separated both their faces were as red as a tomato, behind them both Hiashi and Hanabi were grinning at the reaction by the two.

Neji's mind was unresponsive, he couldn't believe what just happened. Hinata saw the happiness in Neji's expression and she saw this as an opportunity for her to give him a full explanation for her answer, at least this was she wasn't going to be interrupted.

"You interrupted me before I could explain my answer, but even though this is the best for the clan I also want to do this for myself. I don't know if my feelings for you border on romantic love, but I'm sure it could develop into that. It will take some time and patience from your side, but I'm certain that I can be perfectly happy with you. This might be a risk, but this is a risk worth taking, this is a risk I'm willing to take with you"

Hiashi clapped his hands while a small smile formed around his face, "This is excellent news for you two, I'll make sure to prepare a wedding soon enough. You two will be happy together I assure you" he said.

Both Neji and Hinata smiled at Hiashi, "I'd like to thank you for this opportunity uncle, how could I ever repay you for this act of kindness?" said Neji.

Hiashi shook his head, "This was no problem at all Neji, but actually if you can promise me two things then we can call it even" he said.

"Sure uncle, anything"

"Neji, I want you to promise me that you'll look after my daughter and keep her happy. I also want you to keep the clan safe and happy as well, as long as you take care of those two then I'll be a happy man" he said.

Neji nodded, "Of course uncle, you can count on me" he replied.

Hiashi smiled before acing his two daughters, he beckoned for them to come closer. The two sisters walked to face their father, they wondered what he had to say.

The Hyuga Patriarch sighed in defeat as he faced the two, "Hinata, Hanabi, I know I may not be the greatest father but know this my daughters, I love both of you dearly. I may have seemed harsh sometimes but I only do that because I see the potential in the both of you and I wanted to unlock that potential. But I guess I made a mistake by being too strict and forcing you two into things you may not have wanted to do, I really am sorry for that my daughters. I may not show it sometimes but I really do love the both of you dearly, and so does your mother" he said.

Hinata and Hanabi began to sob softly, for years they knew their father as a strict individual but seeing him open up to the both of them brought out a wave of emotions. The two girls lunged at their father and hugged him tightly, Hiashi was shocked to see his daughters be so understanding, he returned the embrace and now it seemed they were a family once again.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

Sasuke laid in an operating table within one of the hidden Akatsuki base, he was waiting for the operation to commence. Invading the summit and meeting his two teammates again opened his eyes, it showed him that he was too weak at the time. He needed more power, and so he turned to the man who could give him what he sought.

"Are you sure you want to do this Sasuke?" asked Madara.

Sasuke grinned madly, "Of course Madara" he replied.

Madara smirked underneath his mask, "Soon Sasuke after the operation your power will increase tenfold, and I will help you develop and nurture that power to reach your full potential. It may take a while for us to do so, but time is something we have an abundance of" he said.

"Like I said Madara, it's no problem at all"

"Excellent, just what I like to hear. I think it's time for us to begin the operation don't you think, Sasuke?"

"I'd personally just want it to get it over and done with already Madara, just give me Itachi's eyes already" he demanded.

Madara chuckled darkly, "Very well Sasuke, its time you finally gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan" he declared.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Chapter 11 is finally done, to be honest this chapter took longer than expected because I had no idea how to write a lemon. I thought it was simpler than it was, but anyway here is my new chapter. Like I said earlier this is my first lemon scene so please take it easy on me, I have no idea if it's good, bad or even satisfactory. This chapter mostly focused on the romantic subplot of my story, and chapter 12 will also delve into that a little bit further, but not to the extent of this chapter. As you all know, two of the main pairings of this story has now been revealed, NaruSaku and NejiHina, there is a list on the Author's Notice up above showing the other pairings as well. Anyway as usual thanks to all those who read my chapter and the story as a whole, please follow, favourite or comment. All of which is highly appreciated here, please refrain from leaving any hate and whatnot, but questions and constructive criticism is more than welcome here. For any questions just pm me or leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer. Thanks everyone!


	12. Promise of a Lifetime

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I probably never will**

 **Author's Notice: Here is Chapter 12 and I've decided to focus a bit more on NaruSaku to further develop the pairing. Also big news for everyone, I plan on finally uploading the first chapter of my other stories soon. Also for one of my stories, God of Shinobi, i'm currently leaning towards just making it NaruSaku, i've been told to make it just NaruSaku so far. Not everything is set in stone though, this may still change.**

 **Also it seems the chapter before this one was my most controversial so far hahahahaha, but honestly for those who don't like it I'm sorry but I'm not changing the pairings. As I stated NaruSaku is my personal favorite pairing and I can't just change that within a matter of seconds, also for NejiHina I really like that pairing as well. I'm not going to write out a whole essay as to why I like the pairing but I just do.**

 **Anyway I would also like to apologize for the delay of this update, college just started here in New Zealand and I was obviously busy with the start of my college life. I also moved out of my old house and into a dorm so I had to prioritize those things first before updating. But now that I'm fully settled in here in college I'll make sure to update regularly. Once again I am extremely sorry for the delay.**

 **As usual I would also like to thank my readers and reviewers, and for everyone's patience for this latest chapter. Please also favorite/follow/comment my story if you haven't already, and if any of you guys have any constructive criticism or questions about the story then do not hesitate to comment or pm me. Just please no hate hahaha. Thanks everyone….and let the story continue**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Promise of a Lifetime**

Sakura's jade eyes fluttered open as she woke up from her deep slumber, upon waking up she sat up and stretched her stiff and tired limbs causing the bedsheets to slide down from her naked body, then she examining the area around her in hopes of recalling what happened to her.

Sakura tried her best to remember where she was and why she was naked, after a few moments the gears in her head began to turn and she remembered the steamy and passionate night of lovemaking she had with Naruto. A blush began to creep up to her face as the images of her and Naruto's intimate moments began to surface in her memories.

Her heart soared once she realized that it wasn't just some dream, the talk she had with Naruto had enlightened her about the true Naruto, and she was certain that it also gave Naruto a deeper understanding of Sakura. Their conversation the other day could considered as a major turning point in their relationship, it seemed that just because of that they may have just exceeded their former bond of friendship and evolved it into a newfound bond of love.

Sakura was giddy at the thought of her new love Naruto, she never felt this way about anyone else before. Even her former feelings for Sasuke never came close to the way she felt about Naruto.

She quickly shook her head of these thoughts, she looked around the bedroom in search of her new lover but there was no sign of Naruto anywhere, slowly Sakura rolled out of the bed, at first she stumbled but soon she managed to stand on her own two feet albeit gingerly. Sakura groaned in both pain and annoyance, her lower body was extremely sore after her late-night activities with Naruto, she slowly sat back down to side of the bed and used her medical ninjutsu to heal and lessen the pain she felt in her lower body. Despite the pain she felt in her lower regions, she did not regret her actions one bit, she gave her virginity and she had no second thoughts or regrets about her decision, she was confident that she chose the right man this time around.

Once she was finished healing herself, she stood back up from the bed and looked around the room in search of her clothes, the room was littered with her and Naruto's clothes and there were piles of them scattered all across the area. She grabbed her share of the clothes and quickly put them back on, afterwards she descended down the stairway from the bedroom in search of the lovable Hokage.

As she walked down the flight of stairs, she began to smell a delicious aroma coming from a certain room, she walked closer and closer in search of that certain aroma and soon she found herself in the mansion's kitchen. She entered through the door and was shocked to see Naruto standing in front of the stove cooking a meal.

'Is he actually cooking?' she asked herself in disbelief.

Naruto heard someone enter through the door, the young Hokage glanced back and smiled as he saw Sakura standing there watching him.

"Oh hey Sakura-chan, good morning. I'm sorry if I didn't wake you up earlier, you were sleeping so peacefully and I didn't want to disturb you. By the way I'm also preparing our breakfast as you can see, I didn't know what you wanted so I just made whatever was available. I hope you don't mind"

Sakura shook her head dumbly, "No not at all Naruto, it's alright thanks I guess" she muttered.

Naruto tilted his head to the side, "What's wrong? You seem confused for some reason" he stated.

The pink haired Kunoichi chuckled, "Yeah I guess I am, don't take this the wrong way but I never thought you knew how to cook" she replied.

Naruto's face faltered, "For your information Sakura-chan, I do know how to cook and I do cook pretty well if I may say so myself. Just sit down and wait for the food to finish then you'll never doubt my cooking skills again" he declared in a joking tone.

Sakura rolled her eyes and walked out of the room and into the dining room, she sat comfortably on one of the chairs and waited patiently for Naruto to arrive with their breakfast.

After ten minutes, Naruto walked to the dining room with a shadow clone, both were carrying one tray of food each. The original Naruto sat on the seat facing Sakura and placed the tray in front of him, while the shadow clone carefully placed the tray he carried in front of the pink haired Kunoichi. Once his job was done the shadow clone quickly vanished leaving a small plume of smoke.

Sakura looked down and examined her food, she was surprised to see quite a delicious looking mean in front of her. The breakfast Naruto prepared had oyakodon as their rice dish, this was complemented by traditional miso soup and tofu. Sakura's stomach grumbled just from seeing the food, she slowly grabbed the chopsticks and prepared to take a bite. She got a small piece of the rice dish and slowly drew it closer to her mouth, as the piece of food came closer and closer she slowly looked at Naruto and she saw the smug grin adorning his face.

She was skeptical about Naruto's cooking skills but she decided to just risk it and take a bite, she closed her eyes as she began to chewing the food. Her palates tingled in delight as the delicious sensations coming from the homemade meal.

She faced Naruto in an instant, "This so good, since when could you cook this well?" she asked.

The young Hokage snickered at Sakura's state of disbelief, "I've known how to cook for a longtime now, probably since I was six years old but back then I only knew how to cook the basic stuff. It was during my travels with Jiraiya that I learned how to cook proper dishes such as this" he answered.

"If you can cook this well why do you always eat ramen instead?"

Suddenly Naruto a pained expression flashed across Naruto's face, he looked disheartened as he began to recall the true reason for his ramen obsession.

"I'm going to be honest with you Sakura-chan, the reason why I always eat at Ichiraku's is mainly because of the old man and Ayame, the two accepted me like family and they were the only restaurant that allowed me in, even if I did drive some of their customers away. They didn't care and they looked after me, the family atmosphere and the company I had with them was why I always ate there and it also helps that ramen is my favorite food. Eating there just made me feel accepted and it was kind of like the closest thing I had to a family dinner, eating in my old place all alone just made me feel sad and lonely"

Sakura looked down feeling slightly ashamed for having Naruto bring that up, "I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't mean to bring back those bad memories" she said in a solemn tone.

Naruto waved her apology off, "No need for that Sakura-chan, you didn't know. Besides, that is a thing of the past now" he replied with a smile on his face dispelling the somber mood.

The two continued to eat but this time they did so in silence, after a while Sakura directed her attention to the clock hanging on the dining room wall, her eyes widened upon realization it was already half past ten.

"Oh shit" she yelled nervously.

Naruto looked at her in surprise, "Sakura-chan what's up, you okay?" he asked.

Sakura nodded repeatedly, "Yeah it's just that I'm late for work, Shishou is going to kill me" she said before scarfing down her food.

The blonde breathed out a sigh of relief upon realization it was nothing too serious, "You don't have to worry about that Sakura-chan, I sent a shadow clone to ask Tsunade for a vacation, and this is for both of us. She was willing to give us week off and she was willing to cover my shifts as Hokage, and yours as a medic" he explained.

Sakura was about to argue but Naruto stopped her, "And before you complain Sakura-chan, I think it's best for the both of us to just rest and relax. We haven't taken a break even before Pein's attack and if you take into account the things that happened soon afterwards, even you have to admit that the both of us deserve a break at least" he said.

Sakura sighed in defeat and she had to agree with Naruto, the two of them may have been powerful ninjas but they were still human, and the two of them were in desperate need of rest.

"Ok then Naruto, you win there I guess. But what are we going to do on our week off?" she asked.

Naruto thought about that while continuing to eat his homemade breakfast, "We could train? I think I need to work a few more stuff" he suggested.

Sakura shrugged, "Sure why not, I guess I have to work on some stuff too. Fighting Sasuke on the bridge kind of opened my eyes, I need to grow stronger to be able to keep up with the both of you" she said.

"You know had I not gotten there in time, this may never have happened"

Sakura's eyes widened at Naruto's sudden statement, "Yeah I know and I'm thankful that you saved me that day, and even all the times you saved me before that" she replied.

"Sakura-chan, please promise me that you'll never do something as risky or stupid like that ever again, I can't bear the thought of losing you"

The pink haired Kunoichi was touched by how much Naruto cared for her, and she was surprised at just how worried he seemed to be about her, "You know I should be saying the same thing to you, whenever were in a fight you always seem to run off and get yourself in some sort of trouble and you always leave me in a worried state. Had it not been for the Kyuubi's healing affects you may not have lasted this long either" she stated in response.

Naruto had to agree with her, he was fully aware of his impatience and impulsiveness in battle, most of his mistakes were emotionally fueled and more often than not it would have costed him his own life had it not been for the fox. At the same time, being teammates with Sakura he has seen her fall for the same mistakes he made, she too was prone to impulsiveness and impatience but at a lesser rate than Naruto, he knew that her pride was also a major strength and weakness for Sakura, in fact it was like a two edged sword for her.

"Sakura-chan, we should probably stop talking about depressing topics like these. Today is a new day for the both of us, and we shouldn't dwell on the past anymore"

The Godaime's apprentice nodded her head in agreement, the two then ceased their conversation and instead the two sat in silence as they ate their much needed breakfast.

It had been a handful of minutes for the two of them, and while eating breakfast, Sakura noticed Naruto's gaze being fully directed at her. She was beginning to feel annoyed by Naruto's intense gaze, she thought that there was something on her face and Naruto just didn't want to tell her.

"What are you staring at?" she asked in a threatening tone.

Naruto was broken from his thoughts by Sakura's sudden question, his cheeks began to redden from embarrassment as he mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What did you say?"

"I was staring at your hair" he whispered in embarrassment.

Sakura glared at Naruto, "What about my hair?" she asked threateningly. She didn't mean to be aggressive about this topic but after years of bullying about her forehead and pink hair, she became easily agitated at anyone who was brave enough to mock them, Ino being a prime example of this even though if her mocking was all in good fun.

Naruto sighed in defeat knowing there was no way out of this, he just had to tell her the truth, "I just kind of thought that you would look better with longer hair. I think it suits you better" he exclaimed in a sincere tone.

Her cheeks quickly adopted a rosy color, "Oh umm thanks Naruto, I didn't know that. I guess I could grow it out for you" she stammered nervously.

Naruto's eyes widened fractionally for a second before a large smile appeared on his face, "Really Sakura-chan? That's great!" he said in an exuberant tone.

"Umm Naruto this just got me think about something. What are we now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what could we consider ourselves now?"

"Humans duh" he simply answered.

Sakura mockingly face palmed, "No you baka! What I mean to ask is how we should define our relationship. I mean are we still just friends? Are we friends with benefits? What are we?" she replied in annoyance.

"Oh now I get you, well I guess you're my girlfriend now and I'm your boyfriend. If that's alright with you?"

Sakura was surprised at how simple Naruto made it out to be, "Yeah I'm happy with that" she said in a jovial tone.

"But Sakura I want to keep this relationship a secret. I'd rather not have people finding out that were together" he said out of the blue.

She was shocked by Naruto's statement and she quickly began to feel somewhat annoyed at what Naruto said, she crossed her arms together and glared once more at her new boyfriend, "And why is that Naruto? Are you ashamed of me or something?" she asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Far from it Sakura-chan, honestly I just want to tell the world that I finally got the girl but at the moment I am one of the most hunted men in the world. I don't want people to target you because of me, and with the war coming it will make you an ever bigger target. My dad did the same thing for my mom, and I for one agree with what they did" he answered honestly.

Sakura examined Naruto and she knew he was telling the truth, "I see and understand your point Naruto but I disagree. I am not afraid of having people know about our relationship, and besides if people were to attack me because of our relationship then I will personally kick their asses myself. I'm not a porcelain doll that will break at any moment, I am a ninja and I was taught by the Godaime Hokage herself on how to fight. Trust me Naruto, I can handle myself" she replied in a proud tone.

Naruto shook his head and he knew there was no convincing her otherwise, at times she could be as stubborn if not even more stubborn than him, "Alright then Sakura-chan you win, but please just be safe if anything like that even happens" he said.

"I will Naruto, just please stop worrying" she said with a soft smile.

Naruto nodded before giving her a smile in return, "Alright I promise to stop worrying so much. So Sakura-chan anything else you want to do today?" he asked.

Sakura stared blankly at Naruto as she tried to remember her plans for the day, as this happened her eyes widened as feelings of guilt creeped up, "Oh shit I forgot about that" she yelled in disbelief.

Naruto was surprised by her sudden outburst, "What are you talking about? What did you forget?" he asked in a slightly worried tone.

Sakura gulped nervously, "I forgot to tell my parents that I wouldn't be home today. They're probably worried sick right now, they're going to kill me when I get back home" she said as her face paled in fear.

Naruto sighed in relief, "If that's what you're worried about then we should probably head over there before we train" he suggested.

She nodded in agreement, "Ok then, we better hurry eating before we go" she ordered.

Soon Naruto and Sakura quickly finished their breakfast, the Hokage was given a small peck on the cheek as a reward for cooking, and afterwards the two of them left the mansion once they were decent, though they decided to skip their showers seeing as how they were just about to train.

Sakura rushed back home in panic with Naruto in tow, soon they arrived panting in front of the Haruno household. The pink haired Kunoichi told Naruto to stay behind for now, she wanted to confront her parents first and she wanted them to hear the news from her own mouth.

She breathed in and out to cool her nerves and soon she entered the newly built household, the home was of the same design as their previous one and Sakura was extremely thankful for the reconstruction's effort in keeping it the same as last time.

Upon entering the house she looked left and right to examine the kitchen and the dining room, "Mom, Dad I'm home" she yelled, but there was no answer. She tried to sense their chakra and she knew then that her parents were waiting in the living room.

She slowly walked to the living room farther back of the house, upon arrival she noticed both her parents sitting in the sofa with disappointed looks on their faces. The first she saw was her mother Mebuki, she had a stern expression on her face and sitting just beside her was Sakura's worried father, Kizashi Haruno.

"Hey mom, hey dad" she said nervously.

"Sakura, where have you been for the past day? Do you know how worried your father and I have been? We thought something bad may have happened to you" said Mebuki.

Sakura flinched at her mother's scolding, she knew that she had to honest with her parents because of their uncanny ability to detect her lies, thought she didn't want to fully tell the both of them the real reason she was out last night knowing how protective her parents were with her.

"What do you have to say for yourself Sakura?" Mebuki said sternly.

The Godaime's apprentice looked down on to the floor feeling a bit guilty, "I'm sorry guys but I just had to do something last night. It was very important for me, and I guess I kind of just forgot to warn you guys before then" she replied.

"And what was that Sakura? What was so important for you to forgot to warn your father and I"

Sakura gulped nervously before facing both her parents, "I'm going to be honest with you guys, I was out last night with a boy" she softly said before biting her lower lip in anticipation for her parent's outburst.

Both Kizashi and Mebuki sat there stunned by their daughter's confession, "What?!" they yelled simultaneously. Sakura was then bombarded with questions about her night, she felt like she was being interrogated by her parents, just from the tone of their voice she could notice their disappointment and anger.

Her parents continued their various questions, she held her hands up to give herself a chance to explain herself. The two parents saw this and silenced themselves as they waited for their daughter's explanation.

"Before you guys continue asking questions, I did spent the night with a boy and I want you guys to meet him. He is waiting outside the house and please just give us a chance to explain ourselves before you guys castrate us"

"Sakura you have to see things from our point of view. We know we may be a bit overprotective at times, but that's because we love you and you're our only child, and the fact that you disappeared for a night without any form of notice had us worried sick" replied Mebuki.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys worry"

Mebuki sighed in frustration as she massaged her temples, right beside her was Kizashi and during this whole ordeal he remained silent knowing how Mebuki was the disciplinarian between the two of them, for Kizashi he could never get mad at Sakura and he spoiled her rotten as a child.

Mebuki stood from her seat at the sofa and walked over to face her daughter, "Sakura please be honest with me, what did you really do last night? Tell me the truth, I won't be mad I promise" she firmly said.

The pink haired Kunoichi knew that this was the moment to tell her parents the truth, "I slept with the boy I told you about, and I have no regrets with what I did. I love him and that's that" Sakura said in a firm tone as she stood her ground.

Mother and daughter stared at each other with neither one backing down, behind them on the couch neither noticed Kizashi. Sakura's father was as pale as a ghost upon hearing how his princess was no longer the innocent little girl that she once was, he knew that this day would happen soon but he prayed that it would never come.

Mebuki stared intently at her daughter as he studied her expressions "I thought so, look Sakura I won't tell you how to live your life and I won't castrate you for what you did because then I would be a hypocrite. I was young and idiotic once and so was your father, but please think this over. Do you really love this boy or is it just because you lost your virginity to him that you think you love him?" she said.

"I really do love him mom, and like I said I have no regrets whatsoever in my decision"

Sakura's mother placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder, "If you really feel that way about him then who am I to argue, I will trust in your judgement Sakura and I hope you chose the right man for you. This may have been earlier than I would have preferred but if you love him then there is nothing I could say that would stop you" she said in a motherly tone.

Sakura was shocked by her mother's statement, she quickly engulfed her mother in a tight hug as she continually thanked her for her understanding, she looked behind her mom's shoulders and stared at her father as well as she mouthed a thank you to him as well, he nodded in response.

"So do you guys want to meet him? I'm certain you guys will get along" she said.

The two parents nodded reluctantly before watching their daughter head out to the front door, both of them were in deep thought about who this mystery boy was, they hoped and prayed to Kami that he was at a decent young man unlike the Uchiha their daughter was once infatuated with. The two were soon broken from their reverie once they heard approaching footsteps, once their guest appeared both their eyes widened once they saw their new Hokage standing in their living room, Naruto had an awkward smile on his face as he stared at both of Sakura's parents.

Naruto saw the stunned expression of Sakura's parents, and during this time he examined both her mom and dad seeing as how this was the first time he ever met them. From what he saw, Sakura inherited her hair from her father, while her eyes were from her mother.

From first sight Naruto could see that Sakura's father was a tall and well-built man, but from all his features it was his strange hair that stood out. The man had dull pink hair which was shaped like a star surrounding his head, while a part of the sideburns extended to form a weird looking mustache. The man also had blue eyes which resembled his own.

Sakura's mother on the other hand, was a blonde woman with slightly long hair, her eyes were exactly like Sakura's, and Naruto saw the facial similarities between mother and daughter.

After a couple more seconds, the two burst off from their seats, "Hokage-sama" they both yelled in surprise. Naruto raised a hand to greet them along with an awkward sounding hi.

The two parents further inspected their guest and they noticed their daughter's hand holding his own, only then did they realize that he was the boy that their daughter spoke of.

"Guys this is my boyfriend, Naruto" said Sakura.

Both her parents nodded dumbly, they hadn't expected him of all people but they were happy to learn that it was a nice young man. They have never met Naruto in person but they have heard stories about him from Sakura, and from what they did hear they could tell that Naruto was the perfect man for their daughter. They were already grateful to Naruto even before meeting him in person, they were fully aware of just how many times he saved their daughter's lives.

The young Hokage bowed slightly in front of the two parents, "Hi it's nice to finally meet you both" he said respectfully.

The two were stunned, they never expected for the Hokage to bow to them in such a manner, in normal standards it should have been the other way around.

Mebuki was the first to recover from her state of shock, "Hokage-sama I'm sorry we weren't expecting you" she said.

"No it's alright Haruno-san, Sakura-chan already told me that the both of you already know what happened, and so I'd like to personally apologize for myself and on Sakura's behalf"

"Please Hokage-sama just call me Mebuki, and just call him Kizashi. It really is nice to finally meet you. Our daughter talks about you a lot and I'd like to thank you for always protecting our daughter"

Naruto chuckled as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "No need to thank me Mebuki-san, I love Sakura-chan and I am more than happy to risk my life for hers. Also, could you please just call me Naruto as well, it still feels weird being called Hokage-sama" he said, Sakura was touched by Naruto's declaration and she lovingly squeezed his hand.

"Ok then Naruto, I'm happy to know that you and my daughter are now together. I was worried for a second, but seeing as how my daughter ended up with you then I'm completely alright with it. I know you'll keep her safe and make her happy" Mebuki said with a soft smile on her face.

"So you and dad aren't mad or anything?" asked Sakura.

Kizashi stood up from his seat and shook his head as he walked to his wife's side, "No were not mad but hime please and I pray please don't make us grandparents just yet. I don't think I'll be able to handle that" he said causing the two to blush profusely.

"Don't worry dad, I don't want to be a mom so soon" she stammered.

Kizashi nodded before facing Naruto, "Please Naruto take care of my Sakura for me. It seems my little hime is growing up, and I can't be there for her as much as I used to be" he said before offering Naruto a handshake.

The blonde Hokage gave him a firm handshake in response, "Don't worry Kizashi-san, you can count on me" he said with a foxy grin.

Mebuki soon interrupted the two, "Oh where are my manners, do you two want any breakfast. I can make some if you want" she said.

"Mom I'm sorry but Naruto-kun and I already ate breakfast at his place, maybe some other time. But also we kind of have to go in half an hour, were supposed to train soon and I kind of need to get a few things from my room" she said.

Mebuki nodded feeling a bit disappointed, she wanted to show off her cooking skills to the Hokage, but she may just have the chance some other day.

Sakura then led Naruto to the staircase by the living room, they walked up to see a hallway and a series of doors, the pink haired Kunoichi brought her boyfriend to the closest door on the right. Upon opening the door, Naruto had first glimpse at Sakura's room. It was just a simple room, there was nothing special about it. The room had white wallpapers, a door leading to the bathroom, and a single bed on the corner. Around the room there was also various forms of furniture, there was a dresser, a wardrobe and a desk.

While Sakura gathered her clothes for a change before their training session, Naruto sat on the bed, "Sakura-chan I have a question for you?" he said.

"Yeah? What do you want to ask me Naruto?" she asked while browsing through the clothes in her dresser.

Naruto continued to examine the room and the house as a whole, he was beginning to feel a bit nervous but he has been meaning to ask Sakura this question earlier this morning but the timing just felt weird, they were having a serious conversation earlier on in breakfast and the chance to talk to her about this just never popped up. But this moment right here seemed to be the perfect chance for him.

"Sakura-chan, how would you like to move in with me in my mansion?" he nervously asked.

The pink haired Kunoichi was surprised by Naruto's suddenness, "Naruto are you sure? I mean we only just started our relationship, I'm not saying no but I just haven't been in this situation before" she replied.

"I know we only started our relationship and I know couples move in with each other usually much later into the relationship, but with the two of us I feel like I've known you since forever. And I have no problem at all with having you move in, it may seem like a big step so quickly but you have to admit yesterday was an even bigger step"

Sakura blushed at the memories of last night but she knew he had a point, it wasn't like neither of them only recently met each other, they had been teammates for years and Sakura even considered Naruto her best male friend. The dubious title for her best friend had to go to Ino, even though they may not always see eye to eye she always considered her a friend.

"I guess you have a point there and to be honest I was saving up money to move out of this place, Ino and I were planning on renting our own apartment but then Pein's attack happened and our plans had to be postponed because of that. But why I do have to ask, why would you want me to move in so quickly?"

"I'm going to be honest Sakura-chan, the mansion is amazing and all but it just feels so lonely living there by myself. The place is huge but I would love to share it with other people, and I just hate living alone even ever since I was a kid. I'm not going to be mad or disappointed if you say no but I just want to put this proposition out there"

Sakura thought about the pros and cons of this situation, she had to admit that she did enjoy staying in the mansion but she enjoyed being near Naruto more, and this opportunity gave her just that. She has also been planning on moving out of her home and this is a chance for her to try and live an independent life for the first time.

She glanced at Naruto and she saw how much this meant to him, she smiled lovingly at her blonde idiot before nodding, "Okay Naruto-kun, I'll do it. But I need to tell my parents first" she said.

Naruto jumped out of his seat in joy before running over to hug Sakura, he lifted her off the ground and twirled her round and round, she laughed at how childish he was acting but she felt great knowing that she and Naruto were going to be together much more often.

As this continued, the blonde Hokage leaned in closer to his girlfriend's ear, "I didn't tell you about this but since you're moving in, what we did last night will be a regular thing. It won't be a one-time thing" he said seductively.

Sakura shivered in delight, "I wouldn't have it any other way" she replied before leaning down to engage Naruto in a heated kiss.

Not too long after that, Naruto and Sakura broke off their kiss before going back downstairs to speak with Sakura's parents about this arrangement. The parents were slightly disappointed to hear that their daughter was moving out, but they accepted it nonetheless. Under normal circumstances they wouldn't allow her to move in with a boy so quickly, but they felt like they could trust Naruto so they fine with this. Once they were given permission by Sakura's parents, Naruto summoned shadow clones to pack Sakura's things and move them to his mansion.

While this happened, the two couples continued to interact and got to know each other a bit more, Mebuki and Kizashi were pleased to learn more about Naruto, they were quick to like the young man, and it seemed quite difficult to dislike him and his exuberant personality. They were pleased to see their daughter as happy as she was when she sat beside Naruto, neither could believe that their little girl was growing up right before their very eyes but they just had to accept the facts.

A few more minutes passed before Naruto and Sakura decided to leave for their training, before leaving though Sakura ran up to her parents and hugged them tightly as a few stray tears cascaded down from her cheeks.

"Thanks for everything mom, dad. Thanks for taking care of me, putting up with me and understanding my decision. I love you guys so much, I promise to visit as often as I can" she said.

Mebuki teared up a bit as well as she engulfed her daughter in a hug of her own, Kizashi just smiled and patted Sakura on the head, their little girl was now a strong independent woman.

"It's alright sweetie, remember that we love you as well. I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast, just please promise me that you two will take care of yourselves" replied Mebuki.

Sakura nodded before breaking off the hug, she then ran to Naruto's side, "I'll see you two soon, thanks again" she exclaimed as she used her forearm to wipe away the tears.

Naruto also waved at the two, "Don't worry, I'll make sure Sakura-chan is safe and happy" he said.

Kizashi smiled warmly, "Good, I'm trusting you with my daughter Naruto" he replied.

After the goodbyes, the Hokage and his new girlfriend finally made their way to the training grounds, during this time Naruto's clones carried Sakura's bags to the mansion to save up some time for the two of them. Soon the two arrived at the Hokage's personal training ground, Sakura was in awe at the sheer size and design of the area. The training ground much like Naruto's new mansion, seemed to be fit for a king, they were extravagant to say the least.

She turned back to face Naruto and she could see the cheeky grin plastered on his face, "How about I give you the tour?" he offered. She nodded and the two walked around the large area as Naruto gave her a detailed explanation on each part of the training ground and their general purpose.

After twenty minutes the two returned back to the waterfalls Yamato built in the middle of the training ground, Sakura was also surprised to see another person waiting patiently underneath a tree. The pair walked to that individual and as they got closer she was given a clear view of their sensei, the masked Jonin Kakashi was lazily sitting underneath the tree for shade as he read his pornographic book.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, it's nice of you to make it, and you're just in time for this time as well"

"Yo Naruto, hey Sakura. I did promise you guys that I was going to change, and as I promised here I am to help you two with your training"

Sakura was confused to see Kakashi at first, but she guessed that Naruto invited him without informing her first. She shrugged seeing this as a positive for their training, she and Naruto knew just how knowledgeable Kakashi was with Ninjutsu.

Kakashi carefully placed the Icha Icha book back in his pouch before clapping his hands once, "So what do you guys want to learn?" he asked.

Naruto was the first to raise his hand, "Kakashi-sensei after fighting Sasuke in the Land of Iron I think I need to work on some more elemental manipulation. Wind is great and all but it only negates Sasuke's lightning, and it is also weak to his fire. I'm thinking of adding a second element to my arsenal as well working some more on my wind manipulation as well" he answered.

Kakashi nodded in understanding, "What element do you have in mind then Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto thought about for a second, "I'm thinking of learning water, I want that to be my second element. This way my wind will negate Sasuke's lightning and my water will negate his fire, but at the same time water isn't weak to lightning so I will have the advantage in this situation" he said.

"Understandable, at the moment how many clones do you use to train?"

"I usually use around five hundred at most, I don't want to overwhelm myself too much"

"Alright that's great because I have a suggestion for you, because of the amount of clones you can use I can probably also teach you a third element if you're willing"

Naruto's eyes widen in surprise but he nodded repeatedly, he was excited at the prospect of learning more elemental techniques, "Of course sensei that sounds great. What element though?" he asked.

"Well I know how to use four elements at the moment, Lightning is my main affinity, but I also know Fire, Earth and Water. But I had to suggest something for you then I would have to say Earth"

"Why earth?"

"I suggest earth because of the two other elements you're learning, wind is mainly used for attacking purposes and so it if your offensive option in battle. Water is a versatile element because it can be used to attack and defend, but its attack is not as powerful as that of wind. As for earth, I suggest this element because it can be your defensive element, although it can also be used for offense, its defense is the strongest among the five elements"

"I see the logic in that but isn't it weak to lightning?"

"Yes it is but you could use your wind to combat Sasuke's lightning, this is really just a third option but I would help you if you learn this as well"

Naruto continued to think about it but in the end he decided it was for the best to take Kakashi's advice, he knew that he could trust Kakashi's judgement in situations such as these.

"Alright then Kakashi-sensei, I'm in" he declared.

Kakashi gave him his trademark eye smile, "That's good Naruto, how about you go and summons your clones to prepare for this" he said.

Naruto nodded and brought out a familiar hand sign, soon a large plume of smoke erupted in the training grounds and there were approximately five hundred Naruto clones surrounding the area, Naruto made the large group separate into eight large groups. Three of the groups each had a hundred, and there were four groups with fifty Naruto clones.

Sakura watched in awe at the amount of Naruto clones surrounding the area, she hadn't even noticed the trail of blood coming from her nose. The pink haired Kunoichi could only blush seeing the potential of this technique in certain…situations.

Naruto was too preoccupied with his clones to realize Sakura's current state, Kakashi on the other hand noticed this and was softly chuckling to himself, he made sure not to let Sakura notice this because he wanted nothing more but to avoid incurring the pink haired Kunoichi's wrath.

During this whole time Naruto was managing his clones, he separated the three groups with a hundred clones each because they were the ones who were going to be dedicated to elemental manipulation. But for the four groups of fifty clones they were separated and spread out into different areas around the training grounds, each were given direct and specific training orders to follow.

As per usual, one of the groups was tasked with working on the Rasengan and its variations, even though Naruto has already mastered the Rasengan and most of its variations, he wanted them to focus on creating more forms for the jutsu and for them to finally master the Rasenshuriken.

Another group was sent to train Naruto's chakra control and to further increase his chakra reserves. For the two final groups, they were each separated into even smaller groups as they were given the task of working on the supplemental jutsus. They were given the scrolls for Fuinjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Space & Time Ninjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu and Clone Ninjutsu. Naruto wanted to continue to improve in these departments, these would be the techniques he would use if his elemental manipulation were to fail.

At this point in time, Naruto has also finished reading over his textbooks on economics, battle tactics, war strategies, politics and other beneficial topics. Aside from these he also finished reading over the files and documents of his predecessors, he soaked in all the knowledge thanks to his clones and he had a much better understanding about Konoha and how to run the village, he made sure not to make the same mistakes as his predecessors. And so because of this the files, notes, documents and the journals were all safety returned to the Hokage's Archives, Naruto no longer had to dedicate clones for that. He no longer needed to dedicate clones for this form of mental training.

Once the four group of clones separated into their own specific area, Kakashi summoned his own two shadow clones and he made each of them lead one group of Naruto's remaining clones, these were the ones with a hundred in each group.

One of the clones Kakashi made led the group of Naruto clones into another area of the training grounds and they were going to be the ones who were going to learn Doton from him. The other clone led his own group to a nearby water supply to work on Suiton with Naruto's other clones.

This left one final group of clones in the area, but because Kakashi didn't know how to use wind manipulation he left Naruto's remaining clones to train with themselves. The original Naruto gave them specific orders on what to work on and soon the clones all separated around the waterfall to continue working on his wind manipulation.

Once all this shadow clone management was done, Naruto faced both Kakashi and Sakura and he led them to a different area of the training ground where the three of them could train in peace without the distraction of the other clones.

Once they found a suitable area for the three of them, Kakashi approached the two teenagers for what else they wanted to learn from him, thought his time he was directing the question to Sakura.

"Umm Kakashi-sensei I have a couple of things in mind that I also want to learn" she said.

"Alright then shoot"

"I'd like for you to teach me the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** as well, and I want to find out my elemental affinity" she said.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, "No problem as for the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** I suggest for you to improve your chakra reserves first. Your chakra control is impeccable but it would be better if you had a larger supply of chakra as well. Also I think it would be better if Naruto taught you this technique, it is his specialty after all" he suggested.

"That sounds great, when do we start?"

"In a while Sakura, but before we start you're elemental manipulation training I think you should be taught the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** first because then it could hasten your rate of learning. But there's no harm in learning your affinity right now"

Kakashi then grabbed a piece of chakra paper and gave it to Sakura, he explained the purpose of the paper and soon she applied her chakra to it. Both Kakashi and Naruto watched intently in order to see what her elemental affinity was.

Sakura soon unclasped her hand and they saw the piece of chakra paper turn to dirt before crumbling away, "Well it looks like you're affinity is to earth, no surprise there I guess. It's also Tsunade-sama's affinity after all" said Kakashi.

"Alright then Sakura, I'll help you increase your chakra reserves first and afterwards we'll help you learn the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** , once you're familiar with that as well then we'll move on to elemental manipulation for you. Are we clear?"

"Hai sensei"

Kakashi nodded before facing Naruto, "How about you Naruto? What do you want to learn?" he asked.

"How about we focus on some taijutsu I want to continue working on that" he replied.

"Sounds good, well then let the training begin" declared Kakashi.

* * *

 **With Tsunade**

As Team Seven began their training, the Godaime Hokage sat in her old desk going through the paperwork for today. She was beginning to regret her decision to allow Naruto and Sakura have their week long break. She really hated nothing more than having to do paperwork. She was nearing finishing this batch of paperwork and after this she planned on having her break, but just before the final paper was finished Shizune came barging in with another stack of paper for her to sign.

"Here you go Tsunade-sama, another batch for you" she said.

Tsunade groaned and cursed softly, even after her supposed retirement from the Hokage position she still had to suffer from the Kage's bane, the dreaded paperwork. But then an idea popped up in her head, she looked underneath the desk as she remembered about the bottles of sake she left there. She grabbed one slowly but was shocked to see that it was empty, she browsed through the other bottles and found that they were all empty as well.

She cursed her luck, now she had to go through the paperwork sober, there was no justice in the world. She sighed in defeat before looking outside the window, she stared into the sky and hoped that Naruto and Sakura were having a great time because at the moment she was absolutely miserable. Today was one of the worst days of her life.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Hours passed and the training session was finally over. Naruto and Sakura laid on the grass sweaty and panting from all the exercises they had to do, Kakashi left earlier because of his ANBU duties but he left a shadow clone to continue working with them. But now that training was over Naruto's clones as well as Kakashi's clones all disappeared.

The training session has been extremely beneficial for both young ninjas, Sakura was close to learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Naruto was beginning to learn two new elements to add to his already impressive resume.

Naruto was the first to stand up, he walked over to Sakura and offered hand to help her stand as well. The two then silently walked to the entrance of the training ground, but as they came closer to the entrance both their stomachs grumbled loudly. The two had to look away as a blush of embarrassment crept up, Naruto turned back to Sakura as he sheepishly smiled at her.

"I guess were both kind of hungry Sakura-chan, oh I know how about we go on our first date, we could eat out there" he suggested.

Sakura nodded and chuckled at the irony of their situation, unlike usual couples their progression was clearly different, they started off with sex, then she moved in with him and only now are they having their first date. Nothing was ever simple with Naruto, not even love.

Naruto then led Sakura back to his place, once they arrived to their destination they made their way to the master bedroom. Both of them were pleased to see Sakura's bags dropped off into the room, now they only had to unpack the items, but they decided to save that for some other time.

Sakura walked over to her bags and browsed through the clothes for her attire for the date. Once she found her preferred outfit she walked to the bathroom in order to prepare the bathtub. Naruto allowed her to go first in the bathroom, slowly while the bathtub prepared itself she began to strip off her clothes.

The pink haired Kunoichi walked back to the door and glanced at the bedroom, she saw Naruto sitting down on one of the seats as he waited for his turn. She saw that Naruto was shirtless during this whole time, and she began to feel a bit turned on as she stared at her man, in fact she began to feel a bit naughty at the moment. She wanted to reward her boyfriend for today and she knew the perfect way just how to do that.

She turned back to the bathtub and turned off the water once it was in a suitable level, then walked out of the room fully naked slowly creeping up behind Naruto. She smirked upon seeing how he still hasn't noticed her approaching figure, then she slowly hugged Naruto from behind as he sat on his chair. She nibbled softly on his ear, "You know there's room in the tub for two" she said seductively.

Naruto gulped before looking behind him, he was left breathless upon seeing his girlfriend nude again. He moaned in delight as Sakura began to lay kisses on his neck, "Come on and join me Naruto-kun, this could save us a bit of time and it's much more fun this way" she said breaking off from her ministrations.

Naruto was broken from his state of pleasure as he watched her saunter off to the bathroom, with an extra sway in her walk, as he watched her fleeting back blood began to pour from his nose.

Sakura grinned at the effect she on Naruto, she turned back to face him as she stood by the door to the bathroom. She suggestively told Naruto to come over with her pointer finger, and within a blink of an eye Naruto stood up to try and take off his pants.

Once they were gone he ran to Sakura and carried her bridal style, she giggled as he led her to the bathtub. With both his arms carrying the naked form of Sakura, he used his right leg to kick and close the door behind him.

* * *

 **One Hour Later**

The door leading to the bathroom opened allowing a bit of the bathroom steam to escape, Naruto and Sakura both stood on the doorway with a towel covering their private areas, the two also had satisfied grins on their faces.

Sakura looked towards her lover, "If you play your cards right Naruto-kun, then that is going to be a regular occurrence for us" she said causing Naruto to nod dumbly.

Once Naruto recovered from his stupor both he and Sakura changed into their new clothes before leaving the mansion, Sakura walked beside Naruto with their hands intertwined, as he led her to their destination, she had no idea where they were going and it seems as though Naruto planned on keeping it as a secret.

The couple walked across the streets of Konoha into their destination, but as soon as they arrived in the more populated areas of Konoha, the people began to notice the two walking around with their hands together. Whispers began to erupt from the crowd concerning the Hokage and his apparent date, Sakura rolled her eyes realizing that gossip about her and Naruto were spreading and if this continued she was certain that Ino would manage to hear the gossip from the grapevine.

As the two continued their walk, Naruto remained oblivious to their stares and whispers, he chose to ignore seeing as how he was used to it since he was a kid. But only this time the whispers and stares were positive, the people were no longer seeing him as the demon child but instead they saw him as their Hokage and as a hero of Konoha.

Sakura on the other hand was not used to this much attention from the people, she felt a bit uncomfortable being the centre of attention. After a while though Sakura started to notice something else, she saw other girls her age stare at her with contempt. She realized that they were Naruto's new group of fangirls, Sakura was annoyed at seeing other women stare at her man.

Sakura never liked admitting this but she had a serious jealous streak, she didn't want to be outdone by the other women and she wanted to show them who Naruto belonged to. She chose to separate her hand from Naruto's and instead she looped her arm with his as she leaned at his biceps.

She smirked as she saw the fangirls look on enviously, so to top it all off she glared at each and every one of them as if telling them to back off, Naruto was hers and she was keeping it that way.

Sakura was too focused on fending off the fangirls that she failed that she failed to notice how she and Naruto finally stopped, she was only broken from her reverie once Naruto tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sakura-chan were finally here" he declared with a large smile on his face.

Sakura sweatdropped upon seeing the sign of the restaurant, their first date was in none other than Ichiraku's Ramen. This was typical Naruto, but even though this may not be the restaurant she predicted where her first date would be, she decided to go with it seeing as how happy it made Naruto.

The young Hokage chuckled at seeing his girlfriend's deadpan expression, "I know this may not have been your preferred place for our first date but at the moment this is one of the only few restaurants that have been rebuilt so far. Restaurants aren't really the main focus of the reconstruction effort" he explained.

"No worries Naruto-kun, I don't mind. Besides I don't think I've told you this before but I really do like their food as well"

Naruto's eyes widened, 'She likes ramen as well. Jackpot!' he thought to himself.

He then led Sakura to the entrance of the establishment, upon their arrival Teuchi and Ayame were quick to greet them. The people eating inside the restaurant all directed their attention to the newcomers, and much like a while ago whispers and murmurs erupted from the people.

Once again the pair chose to ignore them, the two were led by Ayame and Teuchi into a separate table just for the two of them, and then they were asked for their orders. Sakura had her usual, the vegetable ramen while Naruto had a large order of pork ramen.

Unknown to the two of them, once Teuchi and Ayame were finished getting their order the father and daughter duo walked back to the kitchen with knowing smirks on their face.

While waiting for their food to arrive, Naruto and Sakura passed the time by talking about what Naruto did in his time away from the village with Jiraiya, while Sakura told Naruto stories about her time with Tsunade. The two laughed and reminisced about the good old days, as they spoke about their respective masters only then did Sakura really realize how similar she and Naruto were to Tsunade and Jiraiya. She was thankful to Tsunade for showing her the light before it was too late.

Soon their conversation turned to other topics such as Naruto's role as Hokage, Sakura's job as a medic, and soon they talked about the most recent Five Kage Summit along with the upcoming war.

Naruto had told Sakura about his thoughts and feelings about the war, he told her how he loathed war and how he detested it but now it seems that it was inevitable. But for Naruto, just walking around the village and seeing how peaceful it was, it made him dread having to announce the upcoming war to the general populace. So far he kept it quiet with only the top ninjas and the councilmembers having full knowledge of this.

Seeing kids play in the street without a care in the world, and seeing people interact with each other inspired and empowered Naruto's resolve. This was what he was fighting for, he wanted to maintain this state of happiness, prosperity and peace in the village, and he wanted to keep the villagers and the village safe and happy.

Sakura could only smile at Naruto's ambitions, it really showed just what kind of person he was and how different he was to Sasuke. Naruto lived to serve others and make others happy, Sasuke on the other hand lived only to please himself and his mad thirst for vengeance.

But there was another thing that has been bugging Sakura for a while now and she wanted to ask Naruto about it, "Hey Naruto-kun? Why haven't you announced your heritage yet?" she asked.

Naruto sighed knowing that this question would've popped up sooner or later, he at first had political reasons for hiding his identity, but now he had personal reasons for doing so, and it wasn't because he was ashamed of his parents or his heritage.

"At first Sakura-chan I wanted to keep my identity a secret because I didn't want the Tsuchikage or the Raikage getting wind of it, all because of how they were enemies of my dad back in the day. I thought it may have jeopardized our chances of forming the alliance, thankfully that wasn't the case for Onoki seeing as how he had no problem with me being the Yondaime's son once he found out the truth. So in a political sense I no longer have a reason to hide my identity"

"Then why haven't you told people that you're the son of the Yondaime Hokage?"

"Honestly Sakura-chan, I'm waiting for something before I declare my heritage. I'm waiting for the Jonin Vote, when the Jonin Vote comes along I don't want people to vote for me because I was the son of the Yondaime and they may feel guilty for what they did to me in the past. I want them to vote for me because of my promise as a Hokage, I want them to vote for me as a leader rather than voting for me just because of my last name. I want the vote to be fair and I want to earn this position, I don't want it to be given to me because of my parent's past achievements. Maybe after the Jonin Vote then I'll announce my heritage, only if I win though"

Sakura nodded in understanding, she was just about to say something else but she was interrupted once Ayame arrived with their orders. The brunette placed the bowls of ramen in front of the couple, and before she headed back to the kitchen she gave Sakura a cheeky wink.

Sakura then faced Naruto as the two held their chopsticks, "itadakimasu" they both yelled before digging in. Sakura was the first to taste the delicious ramen, after a while she glanced at Naruto and she was surprised to see Naruto eat his ramen at an extremely slow pace. He seemed to be deep in thought and this greatly worried Sakura.

"Naruto-kun what' wrong? You alright?"

Naruto shook his head as he recovered from his stupor, he gave her a large smile, "Yeah Sakura-chan don't worry I'm all good" he said.

Sakura was disappointed as she saw through his obvious lie, "Naruto tell me what's wrong now. I can tell you're lying" she replied in a stern voice.

Naruto saw that she wasn't backing down and he had no other choice but to tell her the truth, "I was just thinking about stuff" he said.

"Oh kami is this the end of the world"

Naruto playfully glared at his girlfriend, "That's not nice Sakura-chan" he said with a childish pout.

"Yeah well that's what you get for lying. So tell me Naruto what's bothering you?"

"It's just that everything is getting so fucked up. The war is ruining everything I'm trying to work for, I'm supposed to bring peace to this world and instead I play a major role in starting a massive war. This war will harm millions of lives, and what's worse it may claim you as well. This has been worrying me for a while now, now that I finally have you I can't imagine a world without you" he confessed.

Sakura placed her hand on top of Naruto's as a sign of comfort, this forced him to look her in the eyes, "Naruto if this worries you then how do you think I fell. You're one of the main targets of our enemies, your life is in even more danger than mine" she replied.

"That is why I want you to promise me something" she continued.

Naruto looked at her incredulously, one of his old promises to her ended up hurting him and he hoped this wasn't the case anymore.

Sakura saw the worry in his eyes and she shook her head, "Don't worry Naruto it's nothing like that old promise. I regret ever giving you that promise, instead I want this to be your new promise of a lifetime to me. Please no matter what come back to me" she said.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw fresh tears fall down her face, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan but no" he said greatly shocking her.

"Why not?" she asked nervously.

"I'll only make this promise to you, if you promise to do the same for me. No matter what happens please come back to me as well" he said.

Sakura smiled warmly and nodded, the two leaned over to kiss before continuing the rest of their date. The couple now felt at ease and at peace knowing that neither was going to break their promise, Naruto had as much confidence in Sakura, as Sakura had on Naruto. Their relationship was built on trust, and they trusted in each other to always find a way back home, no matter the circumstances of the upcoming war.

* * *

 **Glossary**

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Jutsu

Doton – Earth Release

Suiton – Water Release

 **Author's Note**

Here is the latest chapter, once again I'm sorry for a delay but I had to prioritize college of course. Now that I'm settled in I'll make sure to update more consistently, and also as news I do plan on uploading my other stories soon. I'm already working on their first chapters and they will be posted very soon, I'm quite excited about them personally. Anyway as per usual please favourite/follow/comment on the story all of which is much appreciated. Also if you guys have any questions, suggestions or constructive criticism for me and my story do not hesitate to comment or pm me. I will do my best to answer any of your concerns. Thanks everyone


	13. Barriers to Peace

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hello everyone here is Chapter 13 finally published. I hope you guys like it, I'm not going to lie but this and the chapter beforehand are kind of like filler chapters for me as I wait for the important events in my planned timeline to happen. But even then they still do hold some significance to the story, but maybe not as much as previous chapters. The last one was to further expand and progress the NaruSaku relationship and pairing in this story, and there will be other chapters every now and then that will revolve around pairings within my story. Probably won't be NaruSaku though because I've already given them two chapters, the other revealed pairings in my story will be SasuKarin, ShikaTema and NejiHina.**

 **Also on a different note I wanted to address something people have been commenting and messaging me about, it kind of concerns Sasuke. I'm going to be honest with everyone, I kind of hate Sasuke as a character in the original manga and anime. But in my stories I don't like bashing characters, it just doesn't seem too realistic, I might appear like I'm bashing them every now and again and if I do then I swear it wasn't my intention to do so, it may have just seemed that way. Anyway concerning Sasuke, a lot of people just seem to want me to make Naruto just kill him, truthfully I don't think that's realistic. Naruto won't just wake up one day and decide to kill Sasuke after dedicating years of training to bring him back, he was like a brother to him. In my story Naruto does decide to kill Sasuke only after being shown the light, I think character progression is required for Naruto before he decides to just go and kill Sasuke. So there we go, I won't just have Naruto kill Sasuke so early in the story, he is an excellent antagonist for my story and I think it's a bit unrealistic towards Naruto's character.**

 **For my third notice, the first chapters of Yondaime's Legacy, God of Shinobi and Child of Prophecy have been uploaded finally. Sorry for the wait everyone but here they finally are, if you guys are interested then please head over to my profile page and check them out, I promise that they'll be good stories that I hope you guys enjoy. I have a lot of other stories in mind but I've decided to go at them four at a time, for these stories I also plan on uploading as often as I can but I can't make any promises. I plan on making this story my priority and my plan is to upload this at least once a week if I can, as for the other stories I can't give an exact time for uploading but I'll try my best to upload as much as I can.**

 **Anyway sorry for the rather long notice, thanks everyone for reading this if you did and I hope you guys enjoy my latest chapter. Please also favorite/follow/comment if you haven't already, all of them are appreaciated. Also if you have any questions, suggestions or constructive criticism then please do not hesitate to pm me or leave a comment. Thanks everyone!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Barriers to Peace**

A week has passed in Konoha, and much to Naruto and Sakura's dismay their small vacation had just ended as well. All things had to eventually come to an end, and it seems that the two of them had to return to their respective fields of work.

During the week that passed, rumours and gossip about Naruto and Sakura also spread around the village like wildfire. They were the number one topic of the gossip scene of Konoha, and in fact they were even considered as Konoha's golden couple. Sakura's new relationship with Naruto boosted her into celebrity status within the village, the people of Konoha just loved the two of them.

To put it simply, they were revered in Konoha. The Rokudaime Hokage and the Godaime's Apprentice, to the people they were like a match made in heaven. Aside from the general population of Konoha, their friends were also very supportive and accepting of their relationship. Of course among their group of friends, Ino was the first to hear of the news and she was also the first to confront the two about this, not surprising due to her dubious title as the 'Gossip Queen of Konoha'.

Ino tried to get Sakura to spill the beans about all the details, but Sakura being Sakura she chose not to privilege her friend with too much knowledge of her and Naruto's newly formed relationship, she mainly just chose to avoid giving Ino the steamy and intimate details, everything else was fair game.

Among their other friends, Lee was disappointed upon hearing the news but he accepted Sakura's decision nonetheless. Shikamaru on the other hand didn't really care either way, a happy Hokage made his job easier and as long as Sakura kept Naruto happy then he had no problem, because an unhappy Naruto would only make life and work more troublesome for the Hokage's advisor.

From the Konoha 11, the only ones Naruto and Sakura were yet to see were Hinata and Neji. Neither of them knew why, but Sakura dreaded having to see Hinata, she knew it was going to happen someday but she just felt so guilty at the moment. A part of her felt that if anyone deserved to be with Naruto it would have been her, but then again she doesn't want to let Naruto go either. Sakura and Hinata were friends, and the fact that she ended up with the love of Hinata's life just made her feel worse about the situation. She steeled herself though, the next time she ever saw Hinata she promised herself that she would confront her about this and she prayed that she understood.

Other than that, the couple had nothing to worry about. They paid no mind to the rumours and gossip surrounding their daily lives. They were just happy at the moment and they wanted to keep things that way, but of course that may not be the case with the upcoming war.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Today we find the Hokage walking up the staircase of the Hokage Tower, today was the day he had to return to his job. He loved the weeklong vacation he had with Sakura, but strangely enough he was content to return to work.

He finally arrived in his office, upon entering the room he was greeted by the sight of his two advisors standing behind his seat patiently waiting for his arrival.

"Hey Shikamaru, hey Tsunade" he greeted jovially.

Shikamaru lazily raised his arm to greet his Hokage, Tsunade on the other hand simply nodded at his arrival.

"Hey gaki you ready to work?" she asked.

Naruto gave her a foxy grin, "yeah I'm good to go. Thanks for covering for me and Sakura-chan" he said.

Tsunade shook her head, "No problem gaki" she said before a sinister smirk smile began to form on her face; "How about let's start with some good old paperwork" she continued.

Naruto chuckled nervously, he could see from Tsunade's expression that she wanted a bit of payback for having her work for the week.

Tsunade stared at the door, "Shizune" she yelled. Not too long after that Shizune popped up into the room carrying a large stack of paper, she gently placed them on the Hokage's desk.

"Good to have you back Naruto-kun" she said before walking out of the room.

Tsunade laughed darkly upon seeing Naruto's predicament, she was more than happy to cover for Naruto and Sakura but that didn't mean that she particularly wanted to take over as Hokage again, even if it was for just a week. She considered this as a bit of payback for having to do paperwork for a week, now she could just watch Naruto suffer by going through all the paperwork.

Naruto sweatdropped at Tsunade's seemingly evil nature, he instead turned his attention to the large stack of paperwork. He examined it all before sitting down on his seat, he then formed a familiar seal causing five solid shadow clones to emerge.

Naruto and his five shadow clones then divided the large stack of paper into six with each of them having the task on handling one of the six smaller stacks.

The Godaime Hokage ceased her evil and sadistic laugh as she watched Naruto and his clones, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened at the sight.

"I could have just done this from the beginning" she wailed in agony.

Naruto smirked triumphantly, "Yeah I guess so" he replied in an overly innocent tone.

Tsunade glared at her successor as a scowl formed on her face, she wanted to just punch something right now but she resisted the temptation. Just seeing these shadow clones at work made her realize how easy her job could have been, she realized how much time she could have saved had she just used shadow clones to help her.

Instead of punching something or a certain someone, she instead walked over to the wall before continually banging her head at it, "Stupid, stupid, stupid….I could have saved so much of my time" she muttered continually. Naruto just watched from the back with silent chuckle, he wondered if any of his other predecessors also used this technique for paperwork.

* * *

 **With Sasuke**

The young Uchiha laid down on his bed contemplating the events from the past few days, he brought his hand up to feel and graze the bandages placed around his head. The bandages covered his eyes, they were there to help him recuperate from the successful eye transplant operation.

Underneath the bandages were his new eyes; Sasuke considered this pair of eyes special to him. Not for the fact that they granted him increased levels of power and strength, they were special because they belonged to his deceased brother, Itachi.

Just the thought of that name made Sasuke clench his fist in anger, the things Konoha made him do were unforgiveable. He loathed that village, he couldn't believe how he once considered that place his home, they were the reasons he lost everything.

His clan, his family, his brother, all of them lost because of that village. Sasuke wanted nothing more but to burn them to ground, he wanted to make the village pay and the people suffer for their acts against the Uchiha Clan. The day for that was also fast approaching, with his new Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan this dream was now a major possibility sometime within the foreseeable future.

He was quickly broken from his thoughts as he heard approaching footsteps, "What do you want Madara?" he asked.

"I'm surprised you could tell it was me"

"I was able to detect your chakra, and your chakra signature is unique compared to the others"

"Impressive, but I came here because I wanted to talk to you"

Before Madara could continue Sasuke interrupted him, "How long before the bandages come off?" he asked.

"Give or take a week" he answered.

Sasuke smirked before laughing evilly, "That is good news. Once these are finally off I want to attack Konoha, with these brand new set of eyes I am ready to burn that fucking village to the ground. Don't worry I'll also bring you Naruto in the process, he may have the Kyuubi but he won't stand a chance against my new Sharingan. I will end this war as quick as it began" he boldly declared.

Madara simply shook his head, "You're being unrealistic, Sasuke. What you lack is patience, there is no need to rush into these things Sasuke. War is not won in a single all-out battle, it is a combination of battles, ambushes and attacks. At the moment we are also still in the preparation phase, it may take us a year or two to finish our preparations" he explained.

Sasuke scowled at the words of his ancestor, but before he could speak and interject Madara stopped him as he continued his explanation.

"We shouldn't rush into this war Sasuke, the Akatsuki is a small and secretive group as you should know. Strangely enough those factors are also advantages for us at this moment" he said as he examined the confused look on Sasuke's face.

"Our secrecy makes us a bit anonymous. The alliance has no clue where our secret bases our, they have no clue on our true numbers, they have no clue what we may have in store. While on the other hand, we know everything about them. With our secrecy, we will be the ones responsible in starting the battling stages of war, the alliance don't know where to head over if they want to attack us. We know where all of them are, the best they could now is prepare while we do the same"

Sasuke slammed his fist at the bed, "Why do we need to wait? We have all the power we need and Konoha are in a recovery phase because of that attack you ordered. Why not strike now and get this over and done with" he yelled in defiance.

Madara remained clam despite Sasuke's outburst, "I already told you Sasuke we need time to prepare, and I just didn't mean us a whole. Each of us also need to hone our skills and improve further because we are fighting the five nations, do not underestimate our opponent Sasuke they are still a force to be reckoned with. If you underestimate then that will be your own downfall, Naruto is included in that category. You may not want to hear this Sasuke but you to, I watched your fight with Naruto and I can easily say you're not ready to fight him. He was taking it easy on you that whole time, right now he's also probably training and getting stronger. You will not stand a chance" he said. Sasuke's jaw tightened as he grinded his teeth, his two fists were clenched, and his nose flared. He was not happy at all by what Madara said.

The elder Uchiha noticed Sasuke's growing anger, "Don't be mad Sasuke, you needed to hear that. But you also need to calm down Sasuke, I do know how you can surpass Naruto. I know a way for you to fulfil your dreams, I know a way for you could to burn Konoha to the ground" he declared as a sick grin began to form underneath his orange mask.

Sasuke breathed in and out to soothe his anger, once he was done he faced Madara, "How can I do all those? What can I do?" he asked.

"For the next year or two, I am willing to train you in the use of your new eyes. I have mastered these myself and I can impart my knowledge on you, by the time your training is finished you will have the power to make your goals become reality. But I will only be willing to train you under two conditions. One, you must remain patient, and two you must trust in me as well"

Sasuke thought about his offer and in the end he nodded his head in agreement, he hated waiting but for the promises of power then he was willing to do almost anything. If Madara could give him the strength to wipe out Konoha, then waiting a year or two was nothing.

The two remained in silence as they contemplated their agreement, but then a certain thought appeared in Sasuke's head and he needed an answer for it straight away. He turned his head to Madara, despite his current state of blindness he could still sense where people were.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you helping me? Why did you start a war against the five nations? I haven't questioned your motives since I joined but I can't say I'm not curious to understand your plans. I am working under you after all"

"I'm doing all of this for peace" answered Madara.

"Hn, somehow I highly doubt that. You started a war and you claim you're doing this for peace that just doesn't make any sense"

"It may sound confusing at first Sasuke but it is for peace despite what you think, the world we live in in plagued with war, grief, strife and suffering. My plan is to rid all of this, people may not agree with my methods but once they're living in the world I will soon create, I guarantee no one will complain. Fake reality or not, the Infinite Tsukuyomi will finally bring peace to this cesspool of filth"

Madara sighed in sadness as certain memories came of his past resurfaced, "I've seen things and I've been through things people shouldn't have to experience. I've experienced just like you, and I guess you could say the both of us share the same pain. Much like you I've lost someone very special to me because of the structure of our society" he explained in a pained tone.

Sasuke began to recall the books about Madara Uchiha during his time at the academy, "Was it your brother Izuna?" he asked cautiously.

Madara stared at Sasuke before nodding slowly, "Yeah" he lied coolly. He didn't want Sasuke to know the person he was speaking of, there was a massive hole in his heart and it has been that way since the death of the woman he loved.

'Rin'

The one name that echoed in his head, the reason for his fall to darkness, the woman he loved laid lifeless on the floor with a Chidori piercing her heart. He clenched his fists at the memories of that day, much like Sasuke he wanted nothing more but to avenge her death.

The elder Uchiha shook his head from these thoughts before facing Sasuke once more, "You see Sasuke this war is nothing more than a barrier to true peace. The alliance are foolishly fighting against my plan, and this upcoming war will be a small sacrifice or even a small footnote towards achieving true peace. Past wars have only led to momentary peace lasting a few years until another war erupts, the war we are waging will be the one to end all wars. This will lead to permanent peace" he explained.

Sasuke nodded in understanding, he was beginning to understand Madara's logic and reasoning, but despite this the man was still an enigma.

"What about you Sasuke? Is the destruction of Konoha your only goal?" asked Madara.

Sasuke shook his head, "It's not my only but it is my main goal. I want to avenge my clan and my brother for what the village did" he answered.

"What's your other goals?"

"I only have one other, I want to revive our clan as well"

"You probably shouldn't just dedicate your life to vengeance. Much like me you've seen and suffered through the worst pain imaginable, you know how ugly this world is. You have potential Sasuke, but not as an avenger but you have the potential to be a harbinger of peace. I'm sure that's what Itachi would have wanted you to be" he pointed out.

Sasuke remained silent but he listened intently at Madara's words, he was right about two things. He has suffered a lot despite not yet even being an adult, he has seen the worst humanity had to offer, he was also right about Itachi's dreams. He also seemed to know about Itachi's dream of peace, a dream Itachi wanted Sasuke to continue.

He didn't know what to do or think at this point, vengeance was simple and there could be a higher cause calling out for him, and his opportunity was standing right in front of him.

Sasuke was soon broken from his thoughts as he heard Madara's fleeting footsteps, he could tell that he was finally walking away.

The elder Uchiha arrived by the door and before he exited the room he decided to give his relative some parting words, "Think about what I said Sasuke. Will you only dedicate yourself to vengeance or will you finish what your brother started" he said before walking out of the room.

Sasuke laid back on his bed as his head faced the roof of the base, 'Itachi what would you do?' he asked himself.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The young Hokage relaxed at his seat as he finally finished all the paperwork, Tsunade sat behind him still retaining her state of disbelief. This was somewhat like a small break for Naruto, before he carries on his other duties as Hokage.

As he sat and relaxed in his chair, he couldn't help but ponder about the upcoming war. He looked behind him and watched the people of Konoha through the view of his office, he smiled at how peaceful everything and it only made his heart ache knowing how things may not be this way any longer.

After a while Naruto sighed in exasperation as he ran his hand across his hair, his two advisors noticed his strange behaviour, "Hey Naruto what's wrong?" asked Shikamaru.

Naruto glanced behind him seeing Shikamaru's concerned look, "Just thinking about the war again, what are your thoughts on it?" he asked.

"Troublesome"

"That's it?"

"Yeah pretty much"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Everything's troublesome for you" he replied.

"Touché" replied Shikamaru, "When are you going to tell the people about this anyway?"

"I have no idea, to be honest I'm kind of scared of having to tell them. I don't want to disturb the current peace in the village and I'm sure the announcement of war will do just that"

"That may be the case, but don't you think they deserve to know what's happening"

"Yeah I guess you're right, Shikamaru could you please inform ANBU to gather people for a special announcement in a few days. I guess it is time for them to know, I just hope things don't turn to shut too quickly"

"You shouldn't worry yourself too much Naruto, there was nothing you could do to stop this" interjected Tsunade.

Naruto shook his head, "I don't know if that's true. Maybe I could have done something else to avoid this. Sometimes I can't help but think a part of this is my fault as well, I am one of their main targets after all and I was there when the war was announced".

"Gaki just shut up and forget what could've been, it's done and war is coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I know it may be frustrating for you but think of it this way. This war is simply a barrier to peace, you've already united the five nations and the only thing stopping us all from eternal peace is the Akatsuki. When we win this war then you're job is done, you will have nothing to worry about. Right now the relationship between the five nations is at its best, all you will need to do is make sure it stays that way"

Naruto nodded his head in understanding, when she put that way then maybe his dream could still be a reality. The Akatsuki were the only thing standing in his way now.

The young Hokage glanced back at his two advisors with a large smile plastered on his face, "Thanks guys that really helps" he said jovially.

The three were then interrupted as Shizune walked in with what seemed to be a clipboard in hand, "Hokage-sama I am pleased to inform you that the new academy is opening later today. There is a request for you to visit and give a speech to the kids, is that alright?" she asked.

"Yeah of course, that would be no problem at all. What time do I need to be there?"

"Their assembly starts in roughly three hours, please be there in two and a half hours"

"Of course, thanks Shizune"

* * *

 **Hyuga Clan Compound**

Neji, the prodigy of the Hyuga Clan stood in front of the mirror within his uncle's living room, his stair was mostly directed at the seal engraved on his forehead, and "Is everything set, uncle?" he asked.

Hiashi walked behind Neji and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, he nodded slowly as he looked into his nephew's eyes through the mirror, "Of course Neji, today the Caged Bird Seal will finally be wiped away from our clan. Speaking of which, would you like to go first Neji? I can remove your seal right here and right now" he said.

"Actually uncle I've made a decision. I'm going to keep my seal" he declared.

Hiashi's eyes widened in shock, "What are you talking about Neji? Haven't you always wanted to remove this seal? What are you hesitating now of all times?" he asked.

"I want to keep mine to remind myself of my roots and where I came from. I want for myself and for the people of Konoha to remember that before I became the Hyuga's Clan Head, I was simply just a Branch Family Member"

Hiashi sighed in defeat knowing how stubborn Neji could be sometimes, "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"I'm completely confident in my decision"

"Well if that's the case then I will respect your decision. But if you ever want to reconsider then just tell me and I'll remove it"

Neji smiled as he turned back to his uncle, he greatly surprised the elder Hyuga as he lunged forward to engulf his uncle in a hug.

"Thanks uncle, for everything" said Neji.

Hiashi separated the hug and patted his nephew's head, "Hizashi would have been proud of you, I'm sure he's watching from up above" he said.

Neji smiled at the thought of his deceased father watching over him, even though he didn't have much time to spend with his father he couldn't ask for a better one.

Eventually the two men shook their heads of these melancholic thoughts, the two slowly walked over to a nearby window within the room. The window gave them a view of the massive crowd standing in front of the Clan Head's Estate. The crowd consisted mostly of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family, all of them seemed to have an enthusiastic and ecstatic vibe to them; after all it was time for the permanent removal of their Caged Bird Seals.

The crowd not only had the members of the Branch Family, Neji and Hiashi could point out Sai in the crowd. He was simply standing there behind the crowd simply drawing the environment around him, it was really a typical of Sai.

"Shall we begin this uncle?" asked Neji.

"Yeah it's finally time"

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The blonde Hokage waited behind the stage, he sat on a small bench as he secretly watched the assembly taking place in the brand new academy. He was impressed by this new auditorium, when he was in school the academy didn't have one. To put it simply, the new academy was state of the art.

He was broken from his thoughts as he heard clapping, he continued to listen to the principal of the school speak to the children, "Children allow me to introduce to you a special guest. He is someone very important for Konoha and I'm sure you'll all join me to give a round of applause for our Rokudaime Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki" he said.

Whispers began to erupt among the audience while the clapping intensified, "Well that must be my cue" Naruto mumbled to himself.

He walked over to the podium in the middle of the stage, once he was in view for the students the clapping and the cheering became even louder. Naruto smiled as he waved at the children, he then waited for the generous reception to die down before he would give them his speech.

After another minute of cheering eventually the students got tired of it, Naruto grinned as he scanned through the room examining the audience. From what he could see all eyes were on him, and all the attention was directed at him, the perfect scenario for his speech.

For the next few minutes Naruto gave the audience a simple speech about values, ethics, the importance of education, respecting their teachers, and of course hard work. The children listened attentively as their hero spoke to them, just after hearing his speech many were inspired by the blonde Hokage, and Naruto was pleased as he saw the effect his speech had on the youngsters.

He smiled brightly, he could see the Will of Fire burning brightly in those kids, Naruto was confident that the village's future was going to be in safe hands.

After the empowering and inspiring speech delivered by the Hokage, the students were led back to their respective classrooms by their academy instructors. Once the students were out of sight, Naruto was thanked by the academy's new principal for his contributions at the assembly.

Naruto could only smile at how good it made him feel knowing how much good he was doing for these kids, as a youngster himself Naruto wasn't particularly fond of the academy or of education in general. But since his induction as the Hokage, he began to see things in a different perspective.

Despite the upcoming war and the problems with the Akatsuki, Naruto continued to dedicate most of the funds into education and healthcare rather than for the military. He wanted his village to prosper, and at the moment their army was good enough to handle the upcoming war. So despite the threat of war, Naruto was adamant and passionate about the village's educational system and their healthcare, they were needed if the Konoha wanted to prosper as a village and as a society.

Soon after his small talk with the principal, Naruto decided to roam the new academy a bit. As he walked around the various rooms he managed to hear a familiar voice coming from one of the nearby rooms, he peaked in slowly at the room and saw his former teacher Iruka giving a lecture to his students.

Naruto smiled inwardly upon seeing his former sensei, he was one of the special people in Naruto's life even from an early age. He decide that he wanted to just pop in and surprise Iruka, so he slowly turned the knob on the door and entered the room without permission or any given notice.

The students gasped as they saw their uninvited guests, they were left speechless at the sight of their hero. They all saw him in assembly earlier on, but seeing him up close is an extremely different matter altogether.

"Hey Iruka-sensei" Naruto greeted in a nonchalant manner.

Iruka smiled upon seeing Naruto again, "Hey Naruto long time no see, I'm glad you're visiting but did you really have to interrupt my class. I was just getting to an important part of me lesson" he said.

Naruto chuckled as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Oh sorry about that sensei, I was walking around the academy and I guess I just stumbled across your class. Just couldn't help myself" he replied.

Iruka rolled his eyes, "Well no matter then" he said before facing his class, "Students I'd like you all to greet the Hokage".

One by one the academy students rose from their seats, "Good afternoon and welcome Hokage-sama" they greeted in a respectful manner.

"While you're here Naruto, why not stick around for a while. You could answer a few of my student's questions and maybe you could tell them a story or two"

The young Hokage shrugged, "Yeah I don't see why now" he said.

The class cheered as the young boys high fived each other, then after a while the hands of the students rose up as each wanted to ask Naruto their own question.

Naruto scanned the room and pointed at a young boy sitting in the desk at the corner, "You what's your question" he said.

"Hokage-sama, how cool is it being the Hokage?" he asked.

"Being Hokage is quite fun and it does have its perks. But at the same time this great power comes with great responsibility, I have to do a lot of paperwork and I have to do a lot of errands around the village. But despite all that work I love my job and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world"

The class all nodded in understanding causing Naruto to smile at their naiveté, once upon a time he was just like them. He believed that being the Hokage was simple, he used to think that to be Hokage all he needed to be was strong, but that was farther from the truth. To be the Hokage mental and intellectual ability was probably needed more than power, but both were needed to be a successful leader of a ninja village.

Not too long after that, Naruto soon chose another person to ask a question.

"Hokage-sama, what kind of student were you when you were in the academy?"

Naruto laughed heartedly at the question as certain memories came popping back, "This may surprise all of you but I was the dead last of my class. To be honest I spent most of my skipping class and just pulling pranks around town. I probably spent more time in detention than I did in class. I'm sure Iruka-sensei could vouch for that, he was my academy instructor after all" he answered.

The students all turned to their sensei with anticipating looks, Iruka groaned at hearing Naruto's answers, 'What a role model you are Naruto' he sarcastically told himself.

Iruka sighed as he faced his students, "Yeah kids all of that was true, Naruto was a massive troublemaker when he was in school. But just because he did it that doesn't mean you should too" he said before glaring at his former student, "Isn't that right Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto gulped upon realization of what he just did, "Yeah kids don't do the things I did. Stay in school and listen to your teachers" he exclaimed.

The students all nodded in understanding causing Naruto to sigh in relief, soon after that a few more hands rose up hoping to ask some questions.

Naruto chose a hand from the front of the class and it was from an aspiring Kunoichi, the young girl blushed as she stared at Naruto, "Will you marry me?" she asked dreamily.

Naruto's eyes widened in fear, he turned to his side only to see Iruka was his hand across his face. Naruto rubbed the back of his head, he didn't know how to approach this situation. He had been asked by girls his own age for dates, and some even above his age group but he has never been asked by a little girl before.

"Umm sorry but I can't, I already have a girlfriend you see. And besides I'm too old for you" he said.

The girl looked down in defeat and Naruto felt bad about crushing her dreams, "Look on the bright side there's plenty of fish in the sea, you'll probably find someone" he said as he tried to make her feel better.

She slowly nodded, Naruto looked around and saw other girls her age look saddened as well. The young Hokage could only sweatdrop at the sight, 'I think I finally understand your pain, Sasuke' he thought to himself as he recalled the horde of Sasuke fan girls during his academy days.

Naruto quickly tried to change the topic, he continued answering other questions not related to his relationship status, and instead he answered about his days at the academy, his time as a genin, being the Hokage and also questions about his jutsu arsenal.

After a couple of hours the bell for the school rung indicating the end of their schooldays, the kids all packed their things quickly as before running back to their home. This left Naruto alone with his old sensei, "Hey Iruka-sensei do you want to catch up over some ramen, it's been a while" he said.

"Yeah okay, my job here is pretty much done" he said in casual tone as he packed his things.

Naruto smiled brightly, "That's great, I'm sorry I haven't visited sooner but you know how it is. I'm just so busy at the moment" he confessed.

Iruka shook his head, "No need to apologize Naruto, I know you're a busy man. You're finally the Hokage after all, and a good one at that. To be honest I always knew you were going to be the Hokage one day, I had complete faith but even I have to admit that I didn't think you were going to be the Hokage this early. I mean you're not even a legal adult just yet" he said.

"Yeah don't remind me, some people still treat me like a kid"

"Well that's because you still act like one sometimes"

"Hey I'll have you know that I've matured a lot over the past few months"

Iruka chuckled as he walked over to his former student, he slowly ruffled his hair causing Naruto to playfully glare at the scarred man.

"I know Naruto, don't worry you've grown to be a fine young man. I'm proud of you and I'm proud to call you my student"

Naruto at this moment felt like a kid again, it was like as if he was sent back to day he was given his Hitai-ate by Iruka. Now that he thought about it, that moment wasn't that long ago either, it just went to show how things could change so easily.

He looked back at his old academy instructor with a megawatt smile, "Thanks Iruka-sensei, that really means a lot to me" he said.

"No problem Naruto, now how about we get out of here and get some ramen"

Naruto's eyes widened as he jumped up from his position, "Yeah finally" he yelled with his fists pumped up into the air.

Iruka laughed as he watched Naruto quickly race to the ramen stand, "Some things never change" he told himself before following Naruto's trail.

* * *

 **Somewhere in the Land of Lightning**

A large muscular man with dark skin was aimlessly walking down a road, with a small notebook in hand. Every now and then the man would jot certain lyrics in his book as he rapped to himself, people looked at him funny but he paid them no mind.

The man also had his blonde hair combed back with his Kumogakure Hitai-ate covering his forehead, as he continued walking through the street he failed to notice a strong chakra signature making its way to his direction. He was too engrossed in his notes to even pay attention to his surroundings.

He then felt a shiver down his spine as he heard a menacing voice call out to him, "Bee you fucking idiot" it said. The man named as Killer Bee decided to look behind him to see the source of the voice, but just as his head turned he felt a large hand squashing his head.

The large man squirmed in pain as he saw the culprit behind him, seeing none other than his brother made him shiver in fear. The Raikage had a pissed off look, it was clear that he was not pleased with him at the moment, he began to add a bit of lightning into his hand to make his younger brother suffer just a bit more.

"You idiot Bee, you made us all worry that you were captured by the Akatsuki. I had to call a Five Kage Summit because of you, and after all this time you weren't even captured. You just decided to take a fucking vacation" he yelled in anger.

Bee continually tapped the group, "Yo bro stop it I'm tapping out already. Uncle, uncle" he said.

The Raikage shook his head as he released his hold on Killer Bee, he waited for the idiot to recover from his deserved punishment; Killer Bee shakily stood up while dusting himself off.

He was faced with a disappointed Raikage, "Yo bro, sorry about having to go. But I wanted to work on my show" he sang in a nonchalant manner,

The Raikage rolled his eyes, 'My brother is an idiot' he told himself before adopting a serious expression.

"Listen here B, things have turn to shit over the past few weeks. You may not know this but the Akatsuki have just declared war on the five nations, and we are preparing ourselves to fight them. The five nations are in this together with a new alliance, the Hokage is also the one leading this alliance" he explained.

Bee nodded his head in understanding, "I see so that Tsunade lady is our leader, I heard that she is as strong as an ox and as hot as a…" he sang.

A shook his head in frustration, "Finish that sentence and I will kick your ass again Bee" he warned.

Bee tried stopped his rapping but he couldn't but giggle in a slightly perverted manner as he thought about the lyrics in his head, the Raikage looked annoyed as he simply bonked his brother in the head.

"Enough of this you perverted idiot, there is a new Hokage and it isn't Tsunade-sama. The new Hokage is a young teenage kid, and apparently he is also the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. The alliance have decided that before the war begins we want you to train him to master the Kyuubi's power, just like how you did with the Hachibi. So what do you say Bee?"

Killer Bee's attitude quickly became serious upon hearing about this new Hokage, this piqued his interest and he wanted to meet this young Hokage. He extended his hand to his brother, "You can count me in" he said, A grinned as he shook his brother's hand.

"Good, in that case I suggest you return to Genbu. I will speak to the Hokage about these arrangements and I will inform you when he decides to start his training"

Killer Bee nodded in agreement before walking back to the opposite direction, he originally planned to lay low and chill around various areas within the Land of Lightning. But with this upcoming war, he had to change his plans, despite his passion for rap he was one of the most dedicated Kumo ninjas out there, and with a situation as dire as this he knew he had to prepare.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The blonde Hokage stood by the balcony of his tower, he watched as the people of Konoha gathered for his special announcement. He had ordered his ANBU to assemble these people, and here they were ready to hear their Hokage speak. Naruto dreaded having to do this, but he knew it had to be done. He glanced to the people behind him, and he was greeted with encouraging nods by both Shikamaru and Tsunade.

Naruto walked further into the balcony and now he was in full view for the village, the people cheered upon seeing their Hokage and Naruto waited for few moments for this to die down.

After a while he stood directly in front of his microphone, he breathed in and out to calm himself down, this announcement was unlike anything he's done before.

"Hello everyone I would like to thank you all for arriving, but I could only wish it was under better circumstances, at the moment I unfortunately come bearing bad news. A few days ago the Five Kage Summit which I attended was attacked by a terrorist group"

The crowd gasped in fear as the people whispered to each other, they wondered who could have done such a thing and who could be so foolish as to attack a building holding five of the strongest ninjas. Among the crowd, the higher ranking ninjas had sneaking suspicions that I was likely to be the Akatsuki, they were the only realistic group of rogue ninjas who could stand up to the Five Kages. Their questions and suspicions would soon be answered once Naruto decided to continue his announcement.

"The attack on the Kages were unsuccessful, thankfully we were all safe in the end but some samurai were not so lucky. The ones responsible for this heinous crime are the group known as the Akatsuki, but during their attack on the summit we noticed a brand new group of members in their organization. One of which being Sasuke Uchiha himself, he was the one who attacked me and as much as I hate to do this, Sasuke Uchiha is now an S-Rank ninja in the upcoming bingo books. If you see him flee in sight unless you are at a level suitable to fight him"

The crowd continued to whisper and gossip among themselves, this was grave news so far. They couldn't believe how Sasuke had fallen so low, he was given everything by Konoha and yet he betrayed them, not only that but he was now also a major threat to their livelihood.

"During the summit, after the Akatsuki's attack. The leader of the Akatsuki waged war on the five nations, I will not sugar coat any detail on what we are going against. The Akatsuki's power is formidable despite their low numbers, at the moment they consist of ninjas who are at Kage level or their about, all of whom should be taken seriously. Unfortunately they are also in possession of the first seven tailed beasts all of which could be controlled by the Akatsuki's leader, Madara Uchiha"

The crowd's whispers and murmurs all went silent as the name Madara was muttered, everyone knew who Madara was; he was as well-known as the Shodai Hokage himself. The name Madara seemed to instil more fear into the people than when they heard about the seven tailed beasts, from the stories and the tales Madara was depicted as a monster or even a god among men. To hear that he was alive even to this day only seemed to confirm their suspicions, if Madara was involved in this war then things were not looking good.

Naruto examined the large crowd and he could see the growing unrest and fear in his people, he knew he had to do something quick to regain their morale.

"But fear not everyone, despite the power that the Akatsuki hold I assure you all that we will prevail. During the summit the Kazekage, Mizukage, Raikage, Tsuchikage and I formed an alliance between the five great nations, the samurai of the Land of Iron are also included in this alliance. We formed this to combat and counter the Akatsuki, our forces have the combined power of five ninja armies and one samurai army. To counter their Bijuu we still also have the Hachibi and the Kyuubi, so do not distress over our enemy's powers, we will prevail"

The crowd erupted into cheers and claps, Naruto could see the determined looks of his people and he could feel the confidence and morale increasing. Despite delivering bad news, he could see that Konoha was still as lively and vibrant as before, if not even more so.

Naruto raised his hands up into the air, "The Fourth Shinobi World War will begin soon, but we will not falter and we will not fail. We will end up victorious, our village has gone through worse and yet we still stand, this will not be different. We are the greatest village in the world, we will show the Akatsuki why they will regret ever messing with us" he yelled causing the crowd to cheer louder.

Naruto smiled as he saw the uplifted spirits of his people, he decided to finally end his speech with Tsunade's wise words to him.

"I want everyone to prepare themselves for what is to come, the Akatsuki are currently acting as an obstruction for us. They are blocking us out from achieving peace. This is our final barrier to peace"

After his final statement Naruto saw his audience raise their arms in support of him, the young Hokage glanced up into the clouds with a large smile on his face.

'Jiraiya-sensei, Nagato, I'll make our dreams a reality. I swear to you both'

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Chapter 13 is finally finished and I'm sorry if it may have been a bit shorter than usual, also for anyone interested please head over to my profile because I finally posted the first chapters of my three other stories. I promise that they'll be good reads, I will try to update them as regularly as I can but I do plan on prioritizing this one among the four of them. My three other stories: God of Shinobi, Child of Prophecy and Yondaime's Legacy please try them out and tell me what you think. I'm a bit excited about working on them as well as this.

Sorry if my notice at the top of the page was a bit long but I just had a few important announcements to make and I suggest for you guys to read it if you haven't already. But with that being said please favourite/follow/comment on my story if you haven't already, it's nice seeing my story finally getting out there. Also if you anyone has any questions, suggestions or constructive criticism about my stories feel free to pm or comment, thanks for everyone for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.


	14. Konoha's New Spymaster

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey everyone, I am extremely sorry for the late update but college life has just been so time consuming. I seriously underestimated how difficult and time consuming it was, I honestly thought it was like a slightly more difficult version of high school. Anyway like I said I'm sorry for the delay, I'll try to update more regularly but thanks everyone for your patience.**

 **This is also the last chapter for my 'filler chapters' for now, after this I will go back to writing about the main plot. My filler chapters are usually just small chapters that revolve around the subplots of my stories, and the next few chapters will return to the norm. But this time it'll will be about the Akatsuki and their point of view about the war. Hope you guys stay tuned and enjoy it because it will have some action and fights in it. Also for those interested my other story Child of Prophecy will be updated tomorrow evening, check out my profile if you guys are keen on checking out my other stories.**

 **I also want to address something that popped up, in the comment section for this particular stories I have been getting some rather unpleasant comments to say the least, and I have been getting some unpleasant messages as well. Mostly about my pairing choice for this story, honestly I'm getting tired of repeating this but my favourite pairing is NaruSaku, it's only logical that I choose that to be the pairing for my stories. If you guys don't like it then sorry, but you could easily just exit my story and don't read it, honestly I don't mind if you do. There is no need to continually bash my intelligence because of my chosen pairing.**

 **Honestly I'm not really that bothered about this since I did expect it, but I'd just appreciate it if people refrain from this sort of behaviour. And if you guys are still angry about this then just continue to let the butthurt flow through you, because I'm not changing the pairing.**

 **As for my supporters and loyal readers, thanks for everything and I hope you guys continue to read my story, and I hope you guys like my newest chapter. If you haven't already, then please favourite and/or follow my story, also leave comments that'll be great. If you guys have any questions, suggestions or constructive criticism about my story, then feel free to leave a comment or to message me. I'll do my best to answer any of your questions. Also finally please check out my profile for other stories if you're interested. Thanks guys and enjoy chapter fourteen.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Konoha's New Spymaster**

Once the announcement was over, Naruto and his two advisors returned to the office. The young Hokage was relieved to have finally informed the people of Konoha about the coming war, for the past few days the thought of revealing the truth to them frightened him, he dreaded having to break the current happiness and mood within the village. But as Hokage, this was something Naruto had to do, at least now everything was over and done with.

"How are you feeling gaki?" asked the former Hokage.

Naruto sighed as he collapsed into his seat, "I actually feel relieved, I'm surprised how the villager reacted about the war, to be honest I thought there was going to be more panic and apprehension from them" he confessed.

Tsunade chuckled softly, "Normally yes but I guess you could say that you just have a certain effect of the people. Despite your idiocy, you actually have quite a way with words" she replied.

The Rokudaime rolled his eyes, "Gee thanks, I guess" he replied sarcastically.

"So what now Naruto? How are we going to prepare for the war?" interjected Shikamaru.

Naruto's expression quickly turned serious, "We're going to need to assemble the council for this, and we will have to discuss our tactics and strategies with them. Could you inform them to assemble for a meeting later today?"

"Shizune can you please come in here?" yelled Naruto.

Not too long after that, the Hokage's assistant came bursting through the front door.

"What do you need Hokage-sama?" she asked.

"Could you please assemble the ninjas of the council for a meeting, were going to need to discuss about the upcoming war. Could you also tell some ANBU to do the same? That will make it much quicker for you"

Shizune nodded in understanding, "Alright then Hokage-sama, consider it done" she said before walking out of the room.

Naruto then turned to his two advisors, "We should probably head over to the council room right now, we'll just wait for the rest to arrive there" he said.

* * *

 **Council Room**

It took half an hour for most of the members to arrive in the council room, this was one of the few council meetings that didn't include the civilian council. This was a matter of war, and the only ones who had experience or proper knowledge on the matter were the ninjas within the council, for that reason alone Naruto decided not to include the civilian council in the meeting.

Almost everyone was present, the only one remaining was Hiashi, the representative of the Hyuga Clan. The council waited patiently for another five minutes, and it was then that the final member arrived in the room.

Hiashi's arrival into the council room was actually greeted with surprised looks, the Hyuga patriarch was not alone. The Hyuga's Clan head had brought along his nephew Neji, the members of the council all watched in intrigue at the two Hyuga members. During these sorts of meetings, it was customary for a clan to only have one representative and to the council it was obviously Hiashi.

"Hiashi what is the meaning of this?" asked the elder Koharu.

The Hyuga Clan head simply made his way to his seat with Neji behind him, the younger Hyuga stood right beside Hiashi's seat.

"Do not fret Koharu-san, I have a good reason for bringing my nephew along. This goes along with an important announcement from the Hyuga Clan, I am happy to inform everyone here that I am stepping down from my role as the clan's head. I've decided to hand the role down to my nephew and his reign will officially begin in a fortnight, for now I am simply showing him the ropes"

The council member were surprised by this statement, it was rare for someone as young as Neji to be named as a clan head.

"Are you sure about this Hiashi? Is he not too young for the position?" asked Homura.

Hiashi shook his head, "Not at all Homura-san, I believe in my nephew's capabilities as a clan head, and besides our Hokage is even a year younger than Neji. This shows that age does not matter when it comes to these positions of power, the only thing that matters is whether or not they are capable, and Neji is more than capable of handling the affairs of the Hyuga Clan. I will also help him in anyway. I am standing down as clan head but I plan on becoming an advisor to him instead" he answered.

"What about the Caged Bid Seal? If I'm not mistaken members of the branch house are not allowed positions such as these" inquired Koharu.

"I am pleased to say that the Caged Bird Seal is no more, our clan has decided to abolish this tradition and now the main family and branch family unite as one. There will be no more segregation within the clan" Hiashi proudly declared.

The council all nodded accordingly, some disagreed with this appointment but none disagreed with the abolishment of the Caged Bird Seal. It was about time that this practice was forgotten, and this just goes on to show the rapid progression of Konoha over the past few months.

Not too long after this explanation, there was a small roll call and it showed that everyone required was present in this meeting.

Tsunade then stood up from her seat to address the council, "Now that all the pleasantries our out of the way, I suggest we all go down to business. The Rokudaime my successor, has called you all here to discuss about the upcoming war. We will need to be at our best to fight Akatsuki, they may not have the numbers of the combined forces of the elemental nations, but that does not mean we should underestimate them. From my previous dealings with them, I can confidently tell you that those bastards always seem to have a trick up their sleeves" she explained.

"That is understandable Tsunade-sama" said Shikaku, "For now though we must discuss our current strengths and tactics. We need to be at our best if we are to win this war"

Naruto nodded in response, "I couldn't agree more Shikaku-san. Do you have any suggestions for what we could do? I am quite inexperienced when it comes to these matters, I am fortunate enough to have never experienced war before" he said.

Shikaku rubbed his goatee while having his eyes closed, it was clear that the man was in deep thought.

"We should first discuss our projected soldier and weapon output, the skills of our soldiers and we should consider breaking them down into their own divisions"

"I see, well then in terms of the soldier output, I studied the current statistics of our ninja populace here in Konoha. At the moment we have over 15,000 ninjas in our roster, 2500 of them are ANBU operatives, then we have another 2500 Jonin, 3000 Tokubetsu Jonin, we have 5000 Chunin, and we have roughly 2000 genin in our ranks. From the five nations we have the highest population for both ninjas and citizens, in terms of soldier outputs I believe a large portion of them will be from us" Naruto explained.

"That is good news Hokage-sama, we could also lower the age requirement for genin back to six. That way we could add even more possible soldiers for the war" Koharu added on.

Naruto glared at the elder, "Absolutely not' he yelled while banging his fist on the table, "There is no way I hell I will ever let that happen. I will not even allow the genin to participate in this war, only Chunin and above are allowed to head out into this war, the rest will stay here and watch over the village" he declared.

"But Hokage-sama, you need to see the benefits of this. The genin of Konoha take up a significant chunk of our ninja populace, we could add them along with other genin hopefuls this will heavily bolster our soldier output"

"No means no Koharu-san, I will not change my mind about this. I don't care if this gives us more soldiers and I don't care if this was done in previous wars, the genin will not participate in this war. You have to realize that although they do add numbers, their skills are severely lacking compared to those who are Chunin and above. In a war they will only likely end up being killed, and I for one will not allow that. They are our future and I will not risk our future" he declared.

Koharu wanted to argue more, but her fellow elder Homura placed a hand on her shoulder. She knew that she had to admit defeat, there was no way she could change the mind of the Hokage.

Shikaku then stood up from his seat, "I have a suggestion Hokage-sama" he said.

Naruto slowly calmed down and sat back at his seat to allow Shikaku to speak.

"Hokage-sama, do you remember when you sent those letters to your allies asking for help in Konoha's reconstruction?"

The blonde Hokage nodded his head, "Of course Shikaku-san" he replied.

"Well then, we could use those same allies to help us in the war. You could send another batch of letters telling them about the upcoming war and hopefully they could aid us in these times"

Naruto shook his head, "That may be unlikely, I'm pretty sure that those villagers lack the possible soldiers to help us in war. When compared to the hidden villages, their ninja corps are not as skilled" he explained.

"It isn't just about soldiers Hokage-sama, because in that sense I do agree with you, most of those villages lack the troops to spare. But their roles may not have to revolve around the battle itself, they could still help us in a number of ways"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Please explain Shikaku-san" he said.

Shikaku nodded, "Hokage-sama, from your allies of only Taki and Ame are capable of helping us in the battlefield, those two villages are capable of producing top class shinobi, maybe not to the level or calibre of the ninjas from the five hidden villages, but they are still skilled in their own way. The others though are not fortunate enough to have a worthy ninja populace, but what they lack in military power, they can make up for in resources and technology" he explained.

Naruto nodded his head as he listened intently at his suggestion, "What do you mean by that Nara-san?" he asked.

"Take the Land of Noodles for example, I highly doubt that they'll be able to supply us with soldiers, but what they could do to help is supply our soldiers with food. The same thing goes for the Land of Waves. As for Yukigakure, their technology is far more advanced than our own, if they could share some their technology with us then this could give us a major advantage over the Akatsuki, especially if they could supply us with state of the art weapons"

"That would prove to be useful for us, I'll make sure to contact them as soon as possible. I'm confident that they will help us"

"That's good to hear Hokage-sama" Shikaku said with a respectful bow before returning to his seat.

Naruto then stood up from his own seat, "With that in mind I do have another suggestion. Before my master passed away, he passed on to me his journal" he said.

Tsunade was quickly annoyed, "Don't tell me it was one of his perverted ones" she gritted out.

Naruto began to sweat profusely at the sight of an angry Sannin, "No trust me it isn't that journal, this was his spy network journal. It is currently in Fukasaku-san's home in Mount Myoboku, aside from the journal I am also very familiar with my sensei's spy network. During my three year training trip I was exposed to it and I was introduced to each of his spies, he wanted me to carry on his spy network if something were to happen to him. But unfortunately I do not have the time to manage his spy network, I am the Hokage after all" he said.

"What are you getting at gaki?" asked Tsunade.

"What I mean is that we should appoint a new spy master for Konoha, and I personally can show him the ropes. At the moment we are in dire need of information about the Akatsuki, and this is the only way we gather the information we need. We need to know more about our enemy, we need to learn about their bases, plan tendencies and more"

Homura nodded in agreement, "That is an excellent suggestion Hokage-sama, but who should be our next spymaster?" the elder asked.

"I do have someone in mind for this position, but I think it would be for the best that his identity stay hidden for now"

"What do you mean? Shouldn't we be told about this spymaster?" asked Choza, the Akimichi clan head.

Naruto shook his head, "Sorry Choza-san but I think the less information on the spymaster the better. We wouldn't want his name to reach the Akatsuki, it may just cause him harm in the long run" he replied.

"But what about Jiraiya-sama, we all knew that he was the spymaster and he wasn't targeted by the Akatsuki" Choza pointed out.

"That may be the case but he was Jiraiya the Toad Sage, he had a frightening reputation as one of the Sannin. He would be a dangerous target to fight and I'm sure that's why the Akatsuki avoided him for as long as they did. The person I have in mind unfortunately does not have that luxury"

Choza nodded in understanding, "Very well then Hokage-sama" he said.

"I think we all agree with the Hokage on this one, Jiraiya-sama's spy network could prove to be extremely beneficial for us and the alliance" declared Inoichi causing the rest of the council to nod in agreement.

"Now is there anything else?" asked Naruto.

Shikaku raised his hand, "We also have to discuss the possible divisions and platoons for our soldiers" he said.

Tsunade saw this as an opportunity to interject, "If that is the case then we will need to form a medical unit. There will be many casualties from this war, a medical unit could at least lessen the rate of deaths we may experience" she pointed out.

"I agree" said Naruto, "Also I suggest a tracking unit as well, and maybe even a sensory unit"

Neji then spoke up, "Hokage-sama please allow my clan and I to lead the scouting unit. For tasks such as these, the Byakugan is invaluable" he said.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "That could work Neji, I'll take that into consideration" he replied.

Daisuke was next to make a recommendation, "Hokage-sama, the Sarutobi Clan are well known for their use of Katon techniques. We could also form a fire brigade" he said.

"Another possibility, I will make sure to take all these into consideration. After that I will also try and find a suitable leader for each division"

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later**

The meeting had finally concluded, the council had spoken and conversed about a number of topics about the upcoming war. The discussions proved to be useful and informative, it gave Naruto a clearer picture of how to strategize for a war.

Not too long after that, the council members all began to leave one by one. Naruto was also about to leave but before he could do so, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see the Hyuga Clan's new head, "Neji what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Hokage-sama could we please talk in private" he said.

Naruto nodded his head and the two headed over to the Hokage's Office. Once there, Naruto sat on his office's chair, with Neji sitting on the seats in front of his desk.

"So Neji, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I just wanted to come here and thank you for everything" Neji said in a grateful and gracious tone.

Naruto was slightly confused, "Thanks for what? What did I do exactly?" he inquired.

"It's hard to explain Hokage-sama, but you have been directly and indirectly involved towards the recent decisions of the Chunin Exams. You have played a major part for the abolishment of the Caged Bird Seal, and you are a reason as to why I was chosen as the new Clan Head. For all of this, I am eternally grateful"

Naruto was slightly embarrassed by the attention he was getting, "Come on Neji, this was all you and your uncle. I didn't do anything" he replied.

Neji shook his head, "You may not have done anything in a physical sense, but you are the reasoning towards this change. You built this new Konoha, and you inspired us to build a new Hyuga Clan. That is why I came here to tell you that for everything you have done for me and my clan, I swear eternal loyalty to you Hokage-sama. I not only speak for myself, but also for the Hyuga Clan as a whole" he said while respectfully bowing to Naruto.

"Neji, you don't have to call me Hokage-sama, just call me Naruto. Also please stand up, there is no need for this. I trust you and your clan and I'm happy to have inspired this change, but in the end it was still you who instilled this change into your clan and for that you should be proud"

The Hyuga prodigy slowly stood back up from his own two feet to face the Hokage, when he did so he was greeted by an offer for a handshake. Neji accepted it as the two old friends shook their hands as a form of respect.

"Neji I know that you'll make a great clan head. The village's future is looking quite bright right now"

The young Hyuga couldn't help but chuckle, "I guess your right Naruto, the future does look bright" he said.

The two soon separated, "So is there anything else you need Neji?" asked Naruto.

Neji nodded his head, "Actually yeah there is one last thing. Could you head over to the Hyuga Clan Head's Estate tomorrow evening, my clan and I are forming a small get together for the Konoha eleven and others" he replied.

"What's the occasion?"

"There's a special announcement that day, and for now it's a secret"

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Alright then, Sakura-chan and I will be there" he answered back.

* * *

 **Hyuga Clan Head's Estate**

Naruto and Sakura had made their way to the small get together, the pair walked through the newly built Hyuga Clan Compound in search of the clan head's estate.

The pair were dressed in formal clothing, Naruto was dressed with the black Yukata given to him by the Hyuga Clan. Sakura on the other hand, wore a white kimono decorated with pink cherry blossoms. The couple walked side by side, with their arms looped.

"Naruto, why are we here again?" asked Sakura.

"Neji invited us for a get together with the rest of the Konoha Eleven, apparently he also has an important announcement for everyone"

Sakura nodded her head in understanding, "Alright then. It's been a while since we've all just got together, everyone has been so busy since the attack" she said.

"I couldn't agree more, it's good to just catch up and relax every now and then" replied Naruto.

The two carried on to make their way to the Clan Head's Estate, it wasn't that difficult to actually find it. All they had to do was look for the largest house in the compound, and they managed to do just that. The estate was built on the farthest end of the compound, the home itself was truly massive when compared to the other homes and houses within the compound.

From first sight, Naruto and Sakura were both impressed. The estate was close to the size and stature of the Hokage's mansion, this led to Naruto whistling in appreciation for the fine home.

"It looks quite nice doesn't it?" he asked.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah but our home's still better" she replied.

Naruto chucked softly, "Yeah our house definitely kicks ass. Now come on, we have a party to get to" he said.

The pair then headed towards the door before gently knocking on it, after a couple of seconds the door opened and the two were met by Neji himself. The young Hyuga also wore a relatively formal attire, in the form of a yukata.

"Naruto, Sakura good for you two to join us. Please come in" he said as he gestured them to enter his home.

The Hokage and his girlfriend entered the home and they were led to the home's living room, there they saw all their friends interacting with one another. The guests included all of the Konoha Eleven, their Jonin instructors and a few Hyuga Clan members.

Upon their arrival, the eyes of the people rested solely on them. A number of people bowed and nodded respectfully to Naruto seeing as how he was their Hokage, Sakura on the other hand was quickly grabbed by Ino and dragged to a separate table.

Naruto paid it no mind and instead walked over to a separate table where the rest of the guys sat. As the Hokage approached them, he could see Kiba, Choji, Shino, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Yamato all playing a card game.

"Hey guys deal me in" Naruto said.

Kiba grinned mischievously, "Alright then, more money for me" he said.

Naruto simply rolled his eyes, "In your dreams mutt" he replied.

* * *

 **With Sakura**

The pink haired Kunoichi was led to a nearby table by Ino, but as she approached it closer she began to feel nervous. Sitting on the table were Tenten and Hinata, the Godaime's Apprentice had yet to speak to Hinata about her relationship with Naruto and seeing her made her fear for the worst. She knew that this encounter had to happen eventually, but even so she dreaded it.

As the two arrived in the front of the table, both Hinata and Tenten greeted them. Sakura was taken by surprise at how friendly Hinata greeted her. She quickly wondered whether or not she knew about her relationship with Naruto yet, but knowing Konoha, the gossip about them was sure to reach her ears.

"Hey Tenten, hey Hinata" she softly greeted back.

The weapon mistress urged them to sit down, while Hinata merely smiled at them. Sakura was beginning to wonder what was wrong with her, she expected her to at least be angry at her, or at least disappointed. But the way Hinata was acting, was just so typical of her. She was a nice girl you often seemed incapable of hate or anger, and at the moment she was exactly that.

"Umm Hinata, can we please talk privately for a while" Sakura suddenly said.

Hinata was surprised by this request but she nodded nonetheless, "Sure Sakura-san" she replied.

The Hyuga Heiress stood from her seat, both her and Sakura walked over to a private room where they could speak in private.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me Sakura-san" Hinata asked in confusion.

Sakura bit her lower lip nervously, she couldn't even face Hinata. Instead she looked down onto the floor ashamed, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry Hinata" she said in a meek tone.

Hinata had a small frown adorn her face, she knew exactly what Sakura was apologizing for.

Sakura felt Hinata come closer, once she stood in front of him she began to expect the worse. She expected to be slapped, shouted at or insulted for what she did, and honestly she couldn't blame her if she did. But none of those happened, Sakura instead felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. This caused the pink haired Kunoichi to look up at Hinata in surprise.

"Sakura-san, I was hurt when I heard about the news about you and Naruto-kun, but I've learned to live with it. You have nothing to apologize for, before you and Naruto-kun became an item, he talked to me and he told me about his feelings for you. I was angry and jealous at first at how he felt about you, I actually slapped him" she said light-heartedly.

Sakura's eyes widened fractionally as she stared at Hinata, she never expected her to be capable of that; "So why aren't you angry at me as well?" she asked curiously.

"During my talk with Naruto-kun, I realized that there was no changing his mind. Of course a part of me will always love Naruto-kun and he'll always have a special place in my heart, but as long as he's happy then I'm happy. So you have nothing to apologize for Sakura"

The Godaime's Apprentice was shocked by her forgiveness, she quickly lunged at the shy and timid girl and engulfed her in a tight hug, "Thanks Hinata, thanks for everything" she said.

Hinata was caught off guard by the hug, but after a while she returned it to help comfort her friend.

"Could you do something for me Sakura?"

Sakura separated herself from the hug before nodding her head, "Of course Hinata, anything" she replied.

Hinata's expression quickly turned serious as she faced Sakura, "Please Sakura don't ever take Naruto or his love for granted ever again. Cherish what you have with him and please never hurt him again, he doesn't deserve it" she said.

Sakura nodded her head in understanding while a small smile graced her face, "Don't worry Hinata, I promise you I will never hurt Naruto-kun ever again" she replied.

"That's all I could ask for" said Hinata, "Now how about we return to the rest of the girls"

* * *

 **With Neji**

"Are you ready for this Neji?" asked Hiashi.

The young clan head nodded before turning back to the mirror inside his room, he was fixing himself up for the big announcement. He knew everyone was just downstairs enjoying themselves, and soon he would have to deliver the importance news to them. He was both happy and nervous, he knew that his friends would be supportive about his appointment as clan head, but he wondered how they'd react over his arranged marriage with Hinata.

Once everything was in order, Neji breathed in and out to calm himself before heading back down the stairs with his uncle to address his guests. As he arrived in the living room, he could see that everyone was there enjoying themselves. Hiashi walked over to the centre of the room as he began his declaration.

"Hello everyone, thanks to all of you are coming. Before we carry on with the festivities I have a few announcements" he said as the guests all quieted down, their attention all diverted to him awaiting for his announcement.

"First and foremost, I am here to announce that I am stepping down from my position as clan head. The Hyuga Clan is progressing and evolving alongside Konoha, and I am happy to say that aside from a new clan head, there is also a change in tradition for the clan. Our old traditions are no more, instead we head into the future without having to carry the burdens of our past generations. And with that in mind I'd like to introduce to you all my successor, my own nephew Neji"

Some of the guests whispered among themselves in shock, others clapped for the new clan head. Among the guests only a handful were aware of this, Naruto and Shikamaru among the few.

Neji walked over slowly to his uncle's side, "Greeting everyone, I am pleased to stand here before all of you as the new clan head of the Hyuga Clan. But I am also pleased to announce that the Hyuga clan has decided to arrange a marriage for me, I'd like for you all to meet my fiancé. Hinata" he said.

The crowd was greatly surprised by this statement, the guests continued to whisper among themselves while the rest simply cheered in delight and support. Although some knew about the new clan head, none of the guests were aware of this arranged marriage.

The Konoha Eleven all had varying reactions to the announcement, yet all of them were supportive over the two. Although they were technically cousins, this practice has been done by clans over the ages and for years, for the ninja community this was nothing new. But that didn't mean they expected this, the Konoha Eleven although shocked were still rooting for the two.

Among the Konoha Eleven, Ino and Tenten were staring at the blushing Hinata with the two of them pestering her with endless questions. Sakura on the other hand respected her privacy, but she had to admit that she too wanted details about her sudden relationship with Neji. Sakura was extremely happy for Hinata though, she hoped that she could find the love she wanted with Naruto but with Neji instead; she deserved all that and much more.

Among the boys, Lee celebrated along with Guy as the two screamed about this youthful union. Shino was silent as usual while his teammate Kiba however was clapping in joy for Hinata. The two had seen her a sister and they were happy for her and Neji.

Sai was also present in the party, but he chose to stay and watch from a corner in the room alone. He wasn't experienced in such social gatherings so he decided to instead watch and observe how the guests acted in these circumstances.

Shikamaru and Choji also clapped along but to be honest neither of them were too affected by the statement, Shikamaru found it too troublesome while Choji just wanted to get back to eating. As for Naruto, he simply smiled at the two feeling pleased at how they found each other, all though their marriage was arranged her was confident about their chemistry. He felt that they would match each other perfectly, and at least now both of them could find happiness.

Slowly one by one, people approached the engaged couple all giving them their congratulations. Neji was of course slightly embarrassed by the behaviour of his sensei and teammate, but thankfully Tenten was there to straighten them out. Naruto and Sakura also congratulated the two of them, the pair were happy for their friends and they showed it in their support for the two.

Soon the festivities and the celebrations continued, everyone rejoiced for the changes made in the Hyuga Clan, and they also celebrated Neji and Hinata's union. The guests all enjoyed themselves with food, drink and dance, the get together was an extremely lively event which everyone seemed to enjoy.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

While the celebrations continued, Naruto sat in a chair examining the guests. After a while he spotted the man he was looking for, he found his teammate Sai also watching the guests silently. Naruto quickly stood up and headed over to his teammate.

As Naruto approached the pale teenager, the former ROOT operative bowed in respect.

"Hokage-sama" he greeted.

Naruto slightly raised his hand, "There's no need for that Sai, I need to talk to you about something important" he said.

Sai nodded in understanding, Naruto tilted his head to point at a private room within the estate. Sai knew what Naruto meant, so he followed the Hokage through the crowd into the private room. Once there, they realized that they were in the clan head's office.

"What is it that you need of me Naruto?" asked Sai.

"I have a proposition for you Sai, actually you could say it's more of a mission that you could choose to accept or refuse"

Sai raised a single eyebrow as he studied Naruto, "What will be the objections of this mission?" he asked in response.

"The mission is based around espionage, I'm not going to beat around the bush Sai. I am offering you to be Konoha's new spymaster, ever since the death of my sensei, Konoha has lacked a spymaster. At this moment I have the notes and knowledge about my sensei's spy network, but I do not have the time to manage it. This is where you come in, I am more than aware about your talent in espionage and so I thought you would be a logical choice for this position"

Sai was shocked by this proposal, "Are you sure about this Naruto? I hate to remind you this but I did spy on you for Danzo" he replied.

Naruto nodded his head, "I'm still impressed about that, the fact that you managed to bypass my sensory abilities is truly amazing. I trust you with this task Sai, despite your work for Danzo I know for a fact that you had no choice in the matter. I'm also sure that you more than made up for it after you aided me in the Five Kage Summit, I know I can trust you Sai" he declared.

Sai pondered about the pros and cons about being the spymaster of Konoha, he was still unsure if he should accept the position or not. But he was confident in his ability to thrive in the role.

"Why me? Why not Kakashi or Yamato?"

"Honestly I considered those two but Kakashi will be too busy as the new ANBU Commander. Yamato on the other hand, he'll be busy with Konoha's reconstruction. But you were by no means my third choice, all three of you have great potential for this position but in the end I do think that you are the right choice for this. So what do you say?" he asked while offering his hand to Sai.

The former ROOT operative stared at the Hokage's hand, after much internal debate he knew that this was something had to do. In a way this was his way of repenting for his earlier betrayal, Naruto may have forgiven him but he has yet to forgive himself.

He shook the Hokage's hands as he stared straight into Naruto's eyes, "I accept" he exclaimed in a serious and steely tone.

Naruto grinned happily, he knew that he found the right man for the job. He could see the fire and determination in Sai's eyes, despite his usual calm and emotionless demeanour, Naruto could see just how much this appointment meant to him.

"That's good to hear Sai. As the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha, I am proud to appoint you as the new spymaster of Konoha"

Sai nodded his head, "So when do I start?"

"Straight to the point I see" replied Naruto, "Tomorrow head over to my office and I'll give you the details and notes of my master. I'll also contact our spies and inform them about this"

"That will be wise Hokage-sama"

"Also Sai, let's keep your identity and role as the spymaster a secret for now, we wouldn't want the Akatsuki to target you. Aside from myself I am allowing only a handful of other people to be informed about your new role. Kakashi, Shikamaru, Tsunade, Yamato and Sakura will be among those aware. Other than those five and myself, nobody else will be allowed to learn about this. Are we clear?"

"Hai Hokage-sama, you can count on me"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Here is Chapter 14 guys, I hope you guys liked it. Like I said earlier, I am really sorry for the delay. I will try to update more regularly but I can't really promise or swear on it. Also remember this will be the last of the filler chapters for now, the next few chapters will be back about the main story plot and this time it will revolve around the Akatsuki. Also please stay tuned for my other story, Child of Prophecy. I am currently working on it right now and I am halfway finished with chapter two, I predict the full update to be released tomorrow. As per usual, please also favourite/follow/comment on my story if you haven't already, all of which would be much appreciated. If you guys also have any questions, suggestions or forms of constructive criticism please feel free to leave a comment or to pm me. I'll answer any of your questions. Anyway thanks everyone for the patience and support, it really means a lot to me.


	15. Rebirth of the Akatsuki

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hello everyone here is chapter 15, extremely sorry for the delay. I know I promised to update weekly but I don't think I'll be able to live up to that promise; I just don't have the time to update and write that regularly. I will still update and I will complete my stories though, that much is certain, I just won't be able to update as often as I used to. So yeah really sorry about that and I hope you guys understand.**

 **Also this chapter is mostly dedicated to the Akatsuki, this is about the preparation for the upcoming war but this time in the Akatsuki's point of view. This and Chapter 16 will be based around the Akatsuki, and after that it'll go back to Naruto and the gang.**

 **I can't believe I've already gotten 600+ favourites and 700+ follows, thanks for all the support and everything guy, it really means a lot to me to know that people enjoy my stories. Initially I planned on making this a secret but I've decided to just go and tell you guys. I planned on making a fan service chapter if or when my story reaches 1000 favourites. When that happens I plan on writing a fan service chapter along with a usual story chapter, the fan service chapter will be a lemon and it'll probably be NaruSakuIno or NaruSakuMei, or just NaruSaku. It won't really be a part of the story but like I said more of a fan service thing. So if you guys aren't into that thing you could skip it and you won't really miss anything, it's probably more of a one-shot then a chapter.**

 **Anyway as per usual please favourite and follow the story if you haven't already, all the support I've gotten so far has been great and I hope it continues. If you guys have any suggestions or constructive criticism for my story then feel free to leave a comment or to pm me, same thing goes for questions and I answer all the questions sent my way. Once again thanks everyone and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Rebirth of the Akatsuki**

Sasuke held his sword patiently waiting for his opponent to strike, the two swordsmen stood across each other in the room.

"Come on Sasuke, is that all you got. I've fought bandits better than you" his opponent taunted.

The young Uchiha remained calm despite the jab at his skills, "Don't get cocky Suigetsu" he said before lunging at the Kiri missing-nin.

Suigetsu used his Kubikiribōchō to block Sasuke's katana; with a smug grin on his face Suigetsu used his blade to push Sasuke. The young Uchiha was sent back flying, but he adjusted in the air to land on his two feet.

But before the two could reengage in their fight, they heard a slow clapping sound. Suigetsu turned around to see Madara just standing there, seemingly watching their small spar.

"I'm quite impressed Sasuke, even with the bandages in your eyes you still held your own" he said.

Sasuke used his sleeve to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, "Why are you here?" he asked in a demanding tone.

"I need to talk to you" he answered before turning to face Suigetsu, "Alone"

Suigetsu got the message; he grabbed his swords hilt and walked to the door. But he refused to leave without a word, "Next time we fight Sasuke, I'm not holding back" he exclaimed.

"What did you want to talk about?" Sasuke asked.

"It's about your eyes"

"What about them?"

"It's time"

Sasuke grinned madly; his hands quickly grabbed the bandages across his eyes and pulled them off. At first Sasuke barely managed to see anything, his eyes had been closed for roughly two weeks and he needed to readjust. After a couple of minutes, everything suddenly began to clear up for Sasuke.

"How are you feeling?" asked Madara.

Sasuke turned to face Madara, "I feel quite good" he replied.

Madara nodded his head, "That's good" he said before handing Sasuke a handheld mirror, "Take a look at this"

Sasuke grabbed the mirror and examined the new design for his Sharingan, he couldn't help but smile upon seeing his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan for the first time. **(I can't really find the words for a proper description of the eyes, so if you want to know it looks just check out the Naruto Wiki page. The design can be found there)**

"Sasuke I have a few questions for you if you don't mind" Madara interjected.

The young Uchiha lowered the mirror to face his elder, "What do you want to know?" he replied.

Madara shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just curious about a few things, I want to know about your view on all this, your thoughts, and you're other goals. I guess you could say I want to learn more about you, that's all" he calmly replied.

"Just tell me what you want to know now and let's get it over and done with"

"Why do you follow me Sasuke? Why did you join Akatsuki?" Madara asked.

Sasuke sighed in defeat, "I've been thinking about our last conversation, and in a way it helped me clear up things" he replied.

"Oh do explain" said Madara.

"At first I followed you because of your promise for power, and that was it. There was nothing else to it, I wanted power to destroy Konoha and you offered me that power. But since our talk, I've come to a different conclusion, I'm now following you for a different reason" he answered.

Madara nodded his head as he listened intently to Sasuke's words, "So what is this new reason?" he asked.

"For the past fortnight without my eyesight, I began to think about everything. I thought about Konoha, village politics, our clan's massacre and the Kage system. From all of that I came down to one conclusion, the world needs to be cleansed. It needs a revolution"

Madara's eyes widen in shock, "A revolution you say?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yes it needs a revolution. Over the past two weeks I've changed my goals, I've thought about this every day and now my goal is carry on Itachi's legacy, I will fulfil his dream" he declared.

"Which dream? The dream to protect Konoha or the dream for peace"

"I will fulfil his dream for peace, and nothing will stop me"

"Sasuke, how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"The current system is too flawed, to achieve peace the world needs to start over. Naruto's ideas for peace are nothing short of naïve and immature, he cannot face the truth. To create peace in this world, we need to destroy the villages, and we need to kill the Five Kages. This Kage system is the root of all our problems, the world cannot live under numerous factions anymore. The five villages claim to act as one now, but realistically even if they did deal with us their peace will only be temporary. Soon all of them will all go back to fighting one another, all because of the greed and selfishness of the Kages. To create peace we first need to destroy the Kage and village system. Once the alliance has been dealt with, the people will have no choice but to submit to us, and with your Infinite Tsukuyomi we will finally create a true peace in this world. We will all live in our perfect dream world, away from the terrors and hardships of reality" he explained.

Madara slowly applauded Sasuke, "You're beginning to see past your quest for vengeance and I applaud you for that, no longer are you the short-sighted young man I met a few months ago. You've grown since then, I'm quite impressed" he declared.

"Akatsuki will be the harbingers of the revolution; the people may fear us and hate us but in the end were doing them a favour. I love my brother and I vowed to carry on his dream, but Itachi was a fool. He was too trusting in Konoha and in the end it cost him his life, if he really wanted to achieve peace then he should have taken an approach similar to yours Madara"

"Indeed but that was what made Itachi unique, your brother may have had a different view to mine but I respected your brother. At least now you carry on his legacy, he can rest easy knowing that peace will be achieve in one way or another" said Madara.

Sasuke nodded in agreement, "I will still avenge Itachi that much I promise" he vowed, "Just because I have this new goal it doesn't mean I'm forsaking my old one. My quest for vengeance will still continue and I will still avenge my clan, the elders of Konoha are just as corrupt as the Kages and they too will die by my hand. They will rue the day they messed with our clan" he declared.

Madara chuckled darkly, "I am seeing more and more of myself in you, it's like I'm looking into a mirror from the past. I will support your views and goals Sasuke, you will not only have the backing of the Akatsuki but you will have my backing personally" he admitted.

"With or without the backing of the Akatsuki, I am going to complete this mission regardless"

The masked Uchiha couldn't help but smile underneath his mask, "Sasuke I have an offer for you" he said.

Sasuke raised a single eyebrow as he faced his elder counterpart, "What kind of offer" he questioned suspiciously.

"Relax Sasuke its nothing like that, after hearing you speak, I've decided to give you an offer you can't refuse. I want you to be my Second in Command"

A dark grin formed on Sasuke's face, "Very well then, I accept" he said.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

The Akatsuki had all gathered in the conference room within their secret base, all of members were spread out across the large table located in the middle of the room. On the head of the table was obviously their leader, Madara Uchiha.

The eight members were all present in their secretive gathering, Sasuke sat at the opposite end of the table with Karin sitting next to him. Kabuto, Zetsu, Kisame, Suigetsu and Jugo all sat in different areas, with none really sitting anywhere near each other.

The room was silent with not one person uttering a single word; Suigetsu was getting tired of this awkward silence so he raised his hand, "So why are we here again?" he asked while rudely picking his nose.

"Were here to discuss a certain proposition from Kabuto, one I'm actually inclined to agree with"

Kabuto stood up from his seat, all eyes were now on the sage, "Thank you Madara, i've come here with an excellent proposal in mind; I know how we can add yet another member into our group. Another S-Rank missing-nin" he declared.

"Who is this candidate?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

Kabuto grinned madly as he turned to face Sasuke, "I'm so glad you asked Sasuke, it none other than our old master of course, Orochimaru-sama" he answered.

Sasuke's eyes widen in shock and right beside him, Karin jumped up from her seat, "Impossible. He's dead isn't he? Sasuke-kun killed him, I'm sure of it" she yelled while pointing at the man beside her.

"Nothing is impossible with science my dear Karin, in fact the process is actually quite simple. All we need is a bit of my modified flesh, and of course someone inflicted with the Cursed Seal of Heaven" he explained.

"How we are even going to get someone with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, Sasuke-kun's is gone and there's no one else with the seal" said Karin.

"That is where you're wrong, Orochimaru-sama had other people inflicted with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, Sasuke and Anko weren't the only ones. He had others for his experiments; their seals may not have evolved and progressed as much as Sasuke's but Orochimaru-sama's life-force is still injected in those seals, and as long as those seals remain on them I can still revive him"

Sasuke quickly stood up from his seat, "There is no way in hell we are reviving that son of a bitch. I will kill him the second you revive that bastard" he yelled in anger.

Madara watched from the head of the table, he was studying Sasuke and gauging him for his reactions. From what he could see, Sasuke was quite conflicted over this matter and understandably so, Orochimaru had tried to take control of Sasuke's body.

"Sasuke think about this for a second, with Orochimaru here our power is increased considerably. Orochimaru is considered a Kage level ninja, a powerful ally for us. Our organization could benefit greatly from his power and knowledge. Right now Kabuto is on the verge of learning Edo Tensei, but Orochimaru has already mastered this technique. If we manage to resurrect Orochimaru then the Akatsuki will be armed with two Edo Tensei users, we can build an immortal army of loyal followers, no one will be able to stand in our way"

Kabuto nodded his head in agreement, "I agree Sasuke. This is a great opportunity for Akatsuki. Orochimaru-sama has a lot to offer us, he could also continue to help you train" he said.

Sasuke quickly reared his head to Kabuto, his Sharingan spinning wildly, "And why would I need him to help me train. If I remember correctly he died fighting me, as far as I'm concerned there is nothing else he could teach me" he hissed in contempt.

Kabuto was unaffected by Sasuke's small outburst, "Never be too prideful to ask for help, you may have defeated Orochimaru-sama but at the end of the day he has much more experience than you. He is armed with thousands of jutsu and he is a master of all five elements, he could easily pass on some of that knowledge to you" he answered.

"He's right Sasuke, you can learn a lot from him as well me. You may be powerful now, but you are just at the tip of the iceberg. Do not let your pride stop you from seeking help" advised Madara.

Sasuke sighed in defeat, "Hn fine then. Do it" he said with a scowl on his face. He wasn't happy to agree to this, but he knew they did have a point. Despite his hate for Orochimaru, he had to admit that the Snake Sannin was still a formidable ninja and an invaluable potential ally for the Akatuski.

Kabuto smirked approvingly, "Very well then, we'll begin the ritual in a few days, I will gather Orochimaru-sama's old human experiments" he said.

* * *

 **A Few Days Later**

The whole Akatsuki was gathered in a private room, there was a weak and feeble man kneeling down shirtless in the middle of the room. His Cursed Seal bright as day on the left side of his neck.

"Why am I here? What are you going to do to me?" he asked in fear.

"Kukuku you should be honoured to be here, you will be our sacrifice to revive Orochimaru-sama. Count yourself lucky" Kabuto answered.

The man's eyes widened, "No please Kami no" she shouted, he tried to run away but he was binded to the spot by a powerful jutsu.

Kabuto and Jugo approached the man, on Jugo's hand was a handful of Kabuto's modified flesh. Jugo slowly placed the flesh on his Cursed Seal, as Kabuto weaved through a set of hand seals.

" **Kaija Hōin** " he yelled before placing his hand on the Curse Seal. A few seconds later, the man's eyes widened, he howled in pain as a large white snake grew from the seal.

The white snake began to regurgitate, and out from the snake's mouth came Orochimaru.

The Snake Sannin began to laugh madly as he examined the room and area around him, "To think that you would be the ones to resurrect me" he said.

"Long time no see Orochimaru-sama"

"It has indeed been a long time Kabuto" he said before turning to face Team Taka, "It's been a while as well Sasuke-kun"

Orochimaru slowly stood up and dusted himself, "So why have you revived me?" he asked while cracking his neck.

"Allow me to answer that question" said Madara.

Orochimaru turned to face the masked man; from his own time in Akatsuki he never really met this strange person. But then again it has been years since he was a part of this group; the new Akatsuki around him was so different compared to the one he joined years ago.

The only familiar faces Orochimaru saw were Kisame and Zetsu, they seemed to be the only other Akatsuki members from his time.

Madara slowly walked over to the Snake Sannin offering him a hand shake, "Nice to finally meet you Orochimaru, as you know we revived you to give you an offer. We want you to join us, you could help us achieve our goals" he said.

Orochimaru raised a single eyebrow, "And what if I refuse?" he asked.

Madara laughed underneath his mask, "Then we'll kill you, simple as that. This time there won't be any more revivals for you" he coolly answered.

"You obviously leave me no choice but to join" he said in a deadpanned tone.

The masked Uchiha had a smile plastered on his face, "Exactly my point" he said before handing Orochimaru a storage scroll, "Take this, your Akatsuki robes will be inside the scroll"

"So just who are you?"

"Of course how rude of me not to mention my name, I am Madara Uchiha the leader of the Akatsuki"

Orochimaru's eyes widen in both shock and fear, he even accidentally dropped the scroll out of surprise; "Impossible, Madara Uchiha is supposed to be dead" he hissed.

"Trust me Orochimaru, I am well alive. Immortality is not impossible, you of all people should know that" he cheekily replied.

"Indeed" the Snake Sannin mumbled. Orochimaru was still suspicious over this but he knew that something like this wasn't exactly out of the realms of possibility especially for someone like Madara Uchiha.

"So what happened to the other members of the organization?"

"Most of them are now dead; Deidara and Itachi were both killed by Sasuke. Pein and Kakuzu were killed by Naruto Uzumaki, and finally Hidan was killed by Shikamaru Nara"

Orochimaru turned to look at Sasuke, "It seems you completed your goal after all, and you have the eyes to prove it" he said in an amused tone, "And Naruto-kun as well. Who knew he'd grow this strong"

Sasuke scowled and prepared to grab the hilt of his sword, Kabuto stopped him from unsheathing it.

"Calm down Sasuke" he said.

Sasuke turned to face Orochimaru, "Never mention my brother's name again; I will kill you again if you do"

Before Orochimaru could reply Madara intervened, "Don't pay attention to him Orochimaru, for now I want you to understand your role here in Akatsuki" he said.

"So what exactly will be needed of me then?" he asked.

"We will need you to continue mentoring your old apprentice, Sasuke still has a lot to learn and I believe you have a lot to offer. I will need you to help me train Sasuke, I will let you handle the basic jutsu training, and I'll handle the Sharingan training. That's all I can tell you for now, I suggest you follow Kabuto and he will lead you to your room. He might as well also debrief you on the situation"

Orochimaru nodded his head, "Yes that will be ideal. I have no problem training my former student again, I'm quite curious as to how much he's grown since we last fought"

* * *

 **Akatsuki Conference Room**

Madara sat on his desk; he was in deep thought towards Akatsuki's next course of action. At the moment they were making massive strides, despite having lost quite a number of their members, they quickly managed to replace them with another one. Having just reacquired Orochimaru into the group reminded Madara of another possible member to the Akatsuki, if they successfully added this individual then the Akatsuki's resurrection would be complete.

"Zetsu"

A plantlike figure emerged from the ground awaiting his master's orders, "What is it you need of me Madara-sama?" he asked.

Madara grabbed a small folded piece of parchment on his desk and threw it to Zetsu, "I need you to go to the marked location and I need you to dig up our old friend" he cryptically said.

Zetsu opened the parchment and it showed a map of Konoha, and there on the map was a small red x mark. Zetsu studied the area where the mark was and he realized it was the Nara forests.

"You think he may be alive?" he asked.

Madara shrugged his shoulders, "Honestly I don't know, but it's something worth trying. If I'm not mistaken he is immortal after all. Maybe he's like you, he may not need food or water to live" he replied.

Zetsu nodded his head, "I'll get to it right away" he said.

Madara watched as Zetsu merged with the ground, a sinister smile appeared on the masked man's face as he grabbed another piece of parchment in his desk. He opened it to show another map this time it was of Amegakure.

'Soon I'll reclaim what's mine' he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Days Later**

Zetsu had arrived in the designated location of the map, he stood in a forest clearing and he began to use his sensory powers to see if there was a powerful chakra around him. He managed to find one, underneath where he stood. He felt the chakra; it was dark, powerful and familiar.

The Akatsuki scout stood back from the forest clearing and weaved through hand seals; once he was finished he slammed both his hands onto the land. The ground around the area began to shake slightly and soon it parted like the red sea.

"Fuck this son and its glare, son of a bitch my eyes hurt" a raspy voice called out.

Zetsu approached the hole and looked down, there he found his target. Limbs were scattered all across the area. Soon the limbs began to move, the arms and legs crawled towards the torso and reattached itself onto it. All that's left was the head; the body walked over to the screaming and cussing head and grabbed it.

The body then carefully placed the head onto the neck, and the limbs all connected themselves. The man was ghostly pale and extremely malnourished, he also had his long recognizable white hair extending down to his shoulders.

"It's been a while Hidan" said Zetsu.

Hidan turned to the source of the voice and to his surprise it was from one of his former companions, "Zetsu you plant bastard how's it going. Do you have any food I'm fucking starving over here" he said.

Zetsu grabbed a small storage scroll from his back pocket and threw it to Hidan, "Here catch it's not much but there's some food inside and some new clothes" he said.

Hidan nodded and caught the scroll; he unsealed the items and saw a new Akatsuki to replace his current tattered one. Inside there was also a few bottles of water, along with a few loaves of bread. Hidan quickly munched through the food, although he didn't need food or water to survive, he did crave for something to eat. Despite immortality he was still human and he still enjoyed some of the finer things in life.

"So what's up?" he asked whilst eating.

"The Akatsuki have captured seven of the nine tailed beasts, we are close to completing our plan and we need you to help us once more"

Hidan nodded his head, "Yeah I'm in, no problem" he said, "I'm in the business of killing for Jashin and being in Akatsuki is good for my business. I can kill as much as I want without being hassled"

Zetsu nodded his head, "Good to hear, when your done we'll head back to the old hideout. I'll debrief you about what's happened since you were gone; a lot of things have changed since then"

The Jashin worshipper stood up from the ground and cracked his joints, "Ah that hit the spot" he said before turning to face Zetsu, "Before I really join back I only have one request"

"What is it?"

"That Shikamaru kid, he's my kill"

"I think we could arrange that quite easily"

Hidan had a bloodthirsty grin on his face, "Great, count me in" he replied.

"Good to have you aboard again Hidan" said Zetsu.

* * *

 **Akatsuki Hideout**

The new Akatsuki gathered once more in the conference room, this time there were ten instead of eight. The members now included Madara, Zetsu, Kisame, Hidan, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sasuke, Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo. A massive improvement considering a few months ago they only had three members left, since then they quickly recovered and replaced their lost powers.

Madara stood up from his seat and slowly walked around the conference table, every time he passed by a new member of the group, he left them with a single ring. Hidan, Zetsu and Kisame didn't need any new rings considering how they still had their original ones.

Sasuke was given Itachi's old ring, it was only right that he should take his place in the Akatsuki. Jugo was given Kakuzu's old ring, Karin was given a replication of Konan's ring, Suigetsu was given Deidara's ring, Kabuto had a replication of Pein's ring, and finally Orochimaru was given Sasori's ring.

"Those rings you now hold signify your place in the new Akatsuki, each of us is in possession of one ring. Take care of these rings, these are not just for design, they all hold a special purpose as well"

The new members all nodded in understanding, obviously Orochimaru already knew of this but he listened nonetheless.

"With these new rings, I've also listed new partnerships in the Akatsuki. Our group will return to our standard two man groups, each will also be given a specific mission that best suits their combined skills. The first group will have Kisame and Hidan together" declared the masked Uchiha.

The two Akatsuki members glanced at each other and grinned, both didn't necessarily know each other too well but they both respected their power and skills.

"So what'll we do then boss?" Kisame asked.

"I need the two of you to go and do some bounty missions or mercenary work to gather some funds. At the moment we being hunted by the five nations so I suggest for you both to do your dealings in the lawless zones"

"Even after all this time I'm still stuck with fund gathering, great just great" Hidan mumbled.

Madara paid the immortal no mind, "The second group will be Suigetsu and Jugo, and your task will be to visit Orochimaru's old bases, hideouts and prisons to gather some forces for our cause. In this war we will need foot soldiers and they fit the bill"

Suigetsu sighed, "I can't believe I have to head back to those shitholes again" he said, "Oh well at least this time Karin won't be with us" he muttered softly.

"Group Three will consist of Zetsu and Karin, you two will be in charge of scouting and espionage, I will need you two to gather information on our opponents"

Karin's shoulders slumped in disappointment, 'Dammit I wanted to be with Sasuke-kun but I ended up with the plant freak, fuck my life' she thought to herself.

"Group Four will be Orochimaru and Kabuto, you two will be given two responsibilities. The first one is to head to Otogakure and gain their support for the war, the next objective is to gather as much DNA samples as you can for Edo Tensei"

Orochimaru nodded in understanding, "That will be accomplished, I assure you" he hissed in response.

"What about me then?" Sasuke asked.

Madara then turned to his younger counterpart, "Sasuke you and I will be in the final group. We will have our own mission so don't worry about that, the two of us will head to Amegakure to retrieve something important for our cause" he replied in a sinister tone.

Sasuke nodded his head in understanding, "Okay then" he said.

The masked Uchiha then clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention, "We will all set out tomorrow. We will then meet back here in a month's time, and I'm expecting to hear nothing but good news" he said.

* * *

 **Amegakure**

Konan prayed in front of the altar she placed for her two deceased friends, Nagato and Yahiko's deceased bodies were peacefully lying on top of a flowerbed made of Konan's paper. This was their final resting place, a sanctuary made by Konan.

The purple haired kunoichi stayed silent as she stared at the two deceased bodies, she was soon broken from her thoughts as she felt two chakra signatures enter the city. The rain surrounding Amegakure was used for this purpose; with it she could sense the chakra signatures of everyone in the village. The new chakra signatures she felt were familiar to her, and Konan knew full well who they were, and just by sensing them she also knew why they were in Amegakure.

She couldn't help but sigh, "It looks like the time has come. This will be my chance to right our wrongs. I hope you two look after me, this is going to be a tough battle" she said before slowly walking towards the balcony. A large pair of paper angel wings soon appeared on her back, and the kunoichi flew out of the balcony to meet her two opponents.

* * *

 **Outskirts of Amegakure**

Madara and Sasuke stood on top of the river waiting patiently for Ame's so-called angel to arrive, after patiently waiting Madara saw Konan flapping her wings from the sky. She was slowly descending to face them, and as he flew closer he could see the enraged look on her face.

"I am giving you two this warning, leave now if you value your lives" she yelled in rage.

Madara shook his head, "Sorry Konan but were here for Nagato's eyes and there is nothing you can do to stop us" he replied.

Konan scowled as she examined the two men in front of her, this battle was going to be complicated, as if Madara wasn't difficult enough she now also has to face Sasuke Uchiha.

The two sides faced each other, Konan quickly gathered summoned paper and flung them towards Sasuke and Madara; " **Kami Shuriken** " she yelled.

The paper shuriken simply passed through Madara, Sasuke on the other hand pumped chakra to his legs and jumped into the air to avoid the incoming attack.

"I have a question for you Konan, what made you betray me? Is Naruto Uzumaki really that special?"

"He is light personified. That's why everyone he meets carries the flower called hope" she yelled before unleashing another barrage of paper shuriken.

Once more they simply passed through Madara, once the attack was finished he turned to his partner, "Sasuke go on ahead to Amegakure, I'll handle her" he ordered.

Sasuke nodded before running to the Amegakure, Konan tried to chase him but Madara got in her way, "Konan we have our own fight. If you want to reach him then you'll have to go past me first"

Konan scowled before jumping back to keep her distance, "I will not let you succeed in your mission, Nagato's eyes were the country's treasure, I will not allow you to sully them" she yelled in anger.

"Your wrong there Konan, before you die I should probably enlighten you. I was the one who convinced Yahiko to start the Akatsuki, and I was the one who gave Nagato the Rinnegan. The three of you were nothing but pawns to my plans, so you see I'm only really taking back what's mine to begin with" he declared.

Konan then flew rapidly at Madara, the masked Uchiha remained calm as he allowed the paper to continue to pass through him, and instead he anticipated Konan's attack. When he saw an opening he caught Konan by the throat, while using his Sharingan to absorb in the paper shuriken about to hit him.

Unknown to him the paper shuriken he caught were actually paper bombs, Konan dissolved into paper and escaped just in time while Madara was struck by the explosion. She smirked upon seeing the large cloud of black smoke surrounding the area where Madara stood; she waited for a few seconds to allow the wind to blow the smoke away.

Once it was gone she saw a large chunk of Madara's mask destroyed, with his right arm no longer there. Madara had blood all around his body and it was clear that Konan's attack did quite some damage to the masked man.

"I'm amazed that you even survived that, I guess this really leaves me no other choice" she said.

" **Kami no Shisha no Jutsu** " she yelled.

The Amegakure Lake split in half creating a huge abyss, with the water all gone Madara fell towards the abyss. He looked around and his eyes widened in shock, it wasn't just water anymore, there was paper all around all of them had explosive tags attached to them.

"Prepare yourself Madara this is my ultimate technique; this is the combined power of six hundred billion explosive tags" she screamed.

The explosions erupted and it lasted for ten minutes, during that whole time Konan watched in awe at the power of her ultimate technique. By the end of the technique, Konan collapsed down to her knees, she was panting and out of breath. That technique used a large portion of her chakra and it really took a lot out of her.

"Madara, he must be…"

Before she could finish her sentence she felt a kunai to her throat, "Dead?" asked a voice.

Konan's eyes widen in shock, "How? You should be dead after that" she mumbled.

"It's quite simply Konan; the **Izanagi** is quite a powerful technique. It has the power to connect illusion and reality, though it comes with a steep price" he explained.

Konan grit her teeth in frustration, she needed to escape from his grasp and at the moment there was only one way. She turned quickly and used her elbow to hit Madara at the side, the masked Uchiha held his ribcage in pain but before Konan could escape his grasp he plunged his kunai into his shoulder blade. She cried out in pain before pulling the kunai out.

Now she was back face to face against Madara, she refused to die in this situation. She needed to flee right away, her goal quickly changed from killing Madara to ensuring the village's safety. She knew that if she died there was no chance of stopping Madara or Sasuke, and she didn't even want to think about what they'd do to the village once they found Nagato's body.

She saw Madara lunge towards her with a kuani at hand, with no other alternative she quickly turned her body to paper and flew towards the direction of the village. Madara watched the paper fly into the air, he was disappointed that she managed to escape until he remembered the real reason he went to Amegakure.

The masked man shook his head, he may have failed to kill Konan but the point of his arrival in Amegakure was to take the Rinnegan from Nagato's body, and with Konan at least injured and fatigued there was nobody else who could stand up to him or Sasuke.

* * *

 **With Konan**

The purple haired kunoichi flew to the civilian areas of Amegekure, she quickly formed **Kami Bunshin** and gave them the task to run and inform the people about the Akatsuki's attack.

Konan was no fool; she knew that there was nothing she could possibly do now to stop them. The only way Amegakure was going to survive this, was to have the village's people flee and carry on their lives. The village itself may be lost, but at least its people will continue to live.

She tried to warn as many people as she could, but she knew that her time was limited. She could sense Sasuke fighting the village's defences somewhere else in the village, and the chakra signatures of her soldiers were quickly disappearing.

After a few more minutes, a large crowd of civilians gathered in the town square, and with them were a few of the remaining soldiers.

"Everyone you must flee now, Amegakure must live on through you all. Flee to Konoha, the Hokage is an ally of our village, time is not our side, our attackers will arrive soon. Our soldiers are sacrificing their lives to buy us time, and I will join them. We will give you enough time to flee" she declared.

The crowd of civilians broke out into a panic, with many screaming and running for their lives.

"Stop panicking and flee now, but whatever happens all of you should stick together. You have a few ninjas with you and they will act as your security escort to Konoha. Leave now" she continued to yell.

"Lady Konan" a voice random voice called out. Konan turned to her right to see her ANBU Commander standing there; he had blood all over his uniform.

"What is it?" she asked, "Is everything alright"

The ANBU Commander slowly shook his head, "Lady Konan with all due respect, you must not join the battle. You are in no condition to fight; you must flee with the citizens to Konoha. You must live" he said.

The purple haired kunoichi clenched her fists in anger, "I will not flee, if I die then so be it, at least I die an honourable death. I will protect Ame, even if it means death" she declared.

The ANBU Commander sighed in defeat, "I'm sorry to hear that Lady Konan" he said before quickly punching her in the gut. Konan spewed some blood and clutched her stomach in pain, "What are you doing" she asked as her consciousness began to fade.

"I'm sorry Lady Konan but this had to be done, you must survive. The people need a leader and we cannot afford to lose you. You have done so much to the village already, you and Pein-sama. I will take your place and I will buy you time to escape" he explained.

Konan's eyes began to flutter; the ANBU Commander caught her before she fell unceremoniously to the ground. He carried her bridal style and handed her to one of the soldiers leading the escape.

"You must all escape now, and please bring her with you all to Konoha, she must live for Amegakure" he said.

The soldier nodded in understanding, the ANBU Commander then gently placed Konan on the soldier's back for him to carry. With one final glance at the people, the ANBU Commander vanished leaving a plume of smoke.

Their sacrifice was not to be for vain.

* * *

 **Nagato and Yahiko's Shrine**

Madara Uchiha patiently waited at Konan's shrine for Nagato and Yahiko, the area wasn't particularly difficult for him to find. His ability to teleport from one place to another certainly helped. All he had to do now was to wait for his protégé to arrive, at the moment judging from the screams and wails that reached his ears, Sasuke was probably still fighting Amegakure's ninjas.

After a few more minutes of waiting, a puff of smoke appeared in the centre of the room and once the smoke cleared there was Sasuke. His clothes were stained with blood, mud and sweat.

Madara approached his young apprentice, "You've improved" he said before sniffing the air around him, "You also smell like shit"

Sasuke scowled in annoyance, "Hn, Ame's ninjas were pathetic. They were nothing more but a nuisance to me. I killed off most of their soldiers, but there were quite a few who surrendered to us. I'll let you decide their fate" he said in a confident tone.

The masked Uchiha nodded, "Excellent now come follow me" he said. Madara walked closer towards the shrine, Sasuke followed suit. As they arrived in front of the shrine, Sasuke's eyes widen as he stared at one of the deceased bodies, or to be more specific one of the deceased body's eyes.

"Is that what I think it is?" Sasuke asked in astonishment.

"Yes they are Sasuke, those are the Rinnegan. That's why we're here" he replied.

"Who is that man" Sasuke asked while pointing at Nagato's body.

"That is the man known as Pein, he is the man who destroyed Konoha" he answered.

"The one the dobe defeated?"

Madara nodded, "Yeah the same one" he replied. The masked ninja then walked onto the shrine itself, he approached Nagato's deceased body and used his Sharingan to absorb his body, sending him to his own personal dimension. Before heading back down, the also glanced at Yahiko's body.

'Might as well get his as well, he may be useful for our Edo Tensei project' he thought to himself. Madara then walked over to Yahiko's body this time and did the same thing.

"So what are we going to do with Amegakure now?" Sasuke asked, "I would be waste if we just leave it as it is" he continued.

"I couldn't agree more Sasuke, don't worry I do have a plan for Ame. We could turn this village into another base for us, and if Orochimaru and Kabuto manage to get Otogakure's support then we will have two possible bases"

Sasuke nodded in agreement, "So what about the Rinnegan, what do you plan to do with it?"

"I plan on transplanting one of the eyes on myself, and I plan on giving you the other eye" he replied.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock before a predatory grin formed on his face, 'With the Rinnegan and Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan I will be unstoppable. Not even the dobe will be able to match up to me, Konoha will not stand a chance' he thought to himself.

"So when am I going to get that eye?" Sasuke asked.

"With in due time Sasuke, patience is after all a virtue. But before I do give you one of the Rinnegan eyes, you must first complete your Mangekyo Sharingan training. Once you've mastered the use of that Dojutsu, then I will transplant the Rinnegan to replace one of your Mangekyo Sharingan"

Sasuke glared at his fellow Uchiha, "Why can I not have it now? I can train with both, and I can master both" he yelled in response.

Madara waved off Sasuke's concerns, "Mastering the Mangekyo Sharingan will take time and I do not want to overwhelm you with learning how to use two Dojutsu at once. You must first master one before moving on to the other" he answered.

Sasuke scowled in response, he knew there was no use in arguing. Madara was quite stubborn with his decisions, and there was no convincing him otherwise.

"Hn"

Madara smiled knowing that this was Sasuke's way of acknowledging his decision, "We'll start heading back to the base in a week, for now we need to turn Ame into our new base"

* * *

 **Akatsuki Hideout**

Weeks have passed; the pair of Sasuke and Madara was the first to arrive back in the hideout. Their time in Amegakure had been fruitful, not only did they manage to grab the Rinnegan along with Yahiko and Nagato's bodies, but they also managed to colonize the whole village.

The soldiers who surrendered now worked under them, and at the moment there were also a few civilians who were left. Not everyone managed to escape, while some simply refused to escape. All those people now worked for the Akatsuki, if they wanted to live then they had to pledge their allegiance to the Akatsuki.

After a week, Madara decided it was finally time to leave the village on its own for now. But before doing so they of course appointed a few of the ex-soldiers to lead in their stead, after the meeting with the rest of the Akatsuki, Madara planned on returning to Ame to continue where he left off.

Days later the rest of the groups arrived one by one, with each of them bearing good news. Zetsu and Karin were the second team to return back, the two of them managed to estimate Iwagakure's soldier output. They planned on scouting Sunagakure next.

Suigetsu and Jugo were the next to arrive; they too were successful in their task. They managed to grab a few of Orochimaru's old notes, and they also managed to recruit some of Orochimaru's old test subjects and loyal followers. It may not have been much when compared to the projected numbers of the Shinobi Alliance, but every little bit helps their cause.

Fourth to arrive back was Kisame and Hidan, this pair managed to raise quite a large sum of funds for their operations. The two took up various S-Rank bounty and mercenary missions which paid them quite generously.

The final group arrived a few days later, Orochimaru and Kabuto returned from their own mission. Upon their return, the two asked for a small meeting. Madara found this both strange and suspicious, but he allowed them to make their report in front of the whole group.

The two snakes had smug grins on their face; the masked Uchiha couldn't help but glare at the two of them. He could tell that something was up, and knowing them it probably wasn't good.

"Give us your report now, tell me what you know" Madara ordered, his patience was running thin.

"We did as we were told, and we managed to successfully gain Otogakure's support or the upcoming war" Orochimaru reported.

Madara nodded, "Excellent now is there anything else? What about the DNA samples for our Edo Tensei Project?" he asked.

Kabuto chuckled darkly, "Glad you asked that. We found some rather interesting DNA samples and courses over the past month" he hissed, "take this one as an example"

Kabuto formed a single handseal and a coffin sprouted from the ground, the lid from the coffin quickly fell to the ground. The whole Akatsuki was in shock as they stared at the corpse, inside was none other than Madara Uchiha. Then they turned to the masked man leading them, if Madara Uchiha was in the coffin, then who was this mysterious man? They knew he was an Uchiha from the Sharingan in his eyes, but he wasn't Madara Uchiha.

He had played them for fools; they actually believed he was Madara Uchiha. The Akatsuki were desperate to learn the truth. Among the Akatsuki members, Sasuke was the most furious among the group. The young Uchiha grabbed his katana and placed the blade near the masked man's neck.

"Who are you really?" he asked in a sinister and threatening tone.

The Fake Madara paid him no mind; instead he stared at Orochimaru and Kabuto. He grinded his teeth in anger and frustrations, "What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"We should be asking you this" Kabuto said, "Show us who you really are, take off your mask now" he demanded.

The fake Madara had no other choice but to comply with their wishes, he reached up to his mask and slowly began to take it off. Once the mask was gone, he heard a loud audible gasp coming from Karin; the redhead had wide eyes as she pointed towards at him.

"What the hell happened to your face?" she yelled in shock.

The fake Madara chose not to answer; instead he glared at the two snakes.

Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle as he stared into the man's face, "Who knew you were still alive, I thought you died years ago" he said.

Kabuto turned to his master, "Orochimaru-sama, you know him?" he asked.

The Snake Sannin nodded his head, "Yeah he was a genin of Konoha, I knew him because he was one of the Yondaime's students alongside Kakashi Hatake" he answered.

Sasuke's eyes widen upon hearing his former sensei's name, "Tell me your name now" he demanded as he grazed his sword along the fake Madara's neck, drawing some blood in the process. The mysterious man did not even flinch from the cut; instead he stood straight and unmoving.

"If you must know, then no I am not Madara Uchiha. My real name is Obito Uchiha"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Kami no Shisha no Jutsu – Paper Person of God Technique

Kami Shuriken – Paper Shuriken

Kami Bunshin – Paper Clone

Kaija Hōin - Evil Releasing Method

 **Author's Note**

Here is Chapter 15, like I said this was an Akatsuki themed chapter and the following chapter will be the same. Sorry if the Konan and Obito fight scene was too quick, but in the manga and anime it was also quite quick. The only real alteration I made was the fact that Konan actually managed to escape. Anyway thanks for reading my latest update, and I am sorry for the long delay, I've just been so busy. I may not update as regularly as I promised, but do not worry because I will update and I do plan on finishing my stories. Thanks for the all support, please also favourite and/or follow my story if you haven't done so already. If you guys have any questions, criticisms or suggestions for my story or stories then please just leave a comment or just pm me. I answer all the questions sent my way as well. Thanks again for the support, and for reading my story, hope you guys liked it.


	16. The Man Behind the Mask

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Here is Chapter 16, I found the time to update this week and so I did. This chapter shows another probably the final major pairing in the story, and you'll have to read on to find out. It's a bit of a strange pairing, and I'm not sure if it has been used that often. The Akatsuki focus has come to a close in this chapter as well, things will get back to normal as well. Just to give you guys a head's up I also went back to one of my old chapters and I edited it a bit, it was nothing too major. I just fixed Konoha's projected troop output for the war, some people brought that up to me and so I decided to address it, Konoha's troop numbers was around 5000 or something, and now it's around 12000-15000, you don't have to go back and read it, this is just a small notice.**

 **Another slight error from me is Sasuke's curse mark, someone pointed out to me that Sasuke apparently lost his curse mark during his fight with Itachi, and in this story I used his curse mark to revive Orochimaru. I checked back at my previous chapter and I changed it up a bit, to summarize it to you guys Sasuke and Anko are no longer the only ones with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Instead Orochimaru experimented on other people and they used those Curse Seals instead.**

 **Since I had a lot of spare time I also decided to update my other stories, so along with this story, Child of Prophecy, God of Shinobi and Yondaime's Legacy were all also updated this week. So please check them out if you're interested. I also started a poll in my profile to choose the pairing for God of Shinobi, head over to vote if you're interested as well.**

 **I also want to address another topic, in the comment section I may have gotten some rather nasty comments due to my pairing for this story, but some people have come up to my defence in the comment section. Thanks to those people but I just want to stress that I'd rather keep this story a no-hate zone, everyone just take a chill pill. Just because I said some people hate my pairing of choice some people suddenly started bashing all the NaruHina fans, and frankly I'm not sure if they are NaruHina fans or not but I really don't care. I do have some NaruHina fans that read my story and follow it despite this being NaruSaku, and I'd also like to thank those people. All in all let's just keep everything civil and calm, there's no need for people to bash everyone else.**

 **Thanks everyone for the support, and please continue to favourite/follow the story. Things are beginning to pick up and soon the war will begin, when that happens let's just say that shit hits the fan. If you have any suggestions, questions or criticism for my story or writing style then please leave a comment, or you could just message me. I like interacting with my readers and I do want to hear your opinions. Thanks again everyone, and finally here is Chapter 16.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Man behind the Mask**

Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle as he stared into the fake Madara's disfigured face, "Kukuku Obito Uchiha, it has been sometime since we last saw each other. Who knew that little boy would turn out to be the Akatsuki's leader, if my memory serves me right, didn't you want to be Hokage?"

Obito had a steely glare aimed towards the two snakes, "That was nothing more but a pipe dream; I've come to realize my true calling in life. I am here to bring forth and age of peace and to do that I will need your help" he answered.

The Snake Sannin had a sinister smile form on his face as he approached Obito, "I never thought I'd hear you say that, you know in a way Naruto reminds me of the old you. So energetic, full of life and love for the village, but seeing you now it's clear that you've changed" he replied.

With Obito's attention focused on Orochimaru and Kabuto, he forgot that Sasuke was standing just behind him with a blade to his neck.

"Orochimaru seems to know you, but the rest of us don't. You tricked us into believing that you were Madara, but you are nothing more than a fake. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right here and right now" he said, his voice seething with anger.

Obito's glanced at Sasuke through the corner of his eyes, he scoffed at the young man's threats, "I may not be Madara Uchiha himself but I assure you that I can match his powers. Retract our blade now Sasuke, trust me when I say this, you are still not match for me" he calmly replied.

The young Uchiha scowled at the man's insult, he lifted his blade slashed across his body, but his blade simply passed through without dealing any damage. Obito chuckled at the failure of Sasuke's attack, "I've already told you, you are still years away from even challenging me" he said.

'Damn I forgot about that stupid technique of his' Sasuke silently thought to himself. Before he could strike a second time, Kabuto quickly appeared behind him and grabbed his wrists.

"Sasuke-kun, do not be so hasty. We must let him explain himself first" he silently hissed in his ear.

Sasuke begrudgingly returned his sword to its hilt and walked back to his seat, "He better give us a damn good reason why we shouldn't kill him for tricking us" he warned.

Obito walked turned his back to stare at the rest of the Akatsuki, "Don't you worry, I will" he cockily answered back.

The elder Uchiha sighed in frustration as he ran his hand across his hair; he didn't want to remember his past. It held too many painful memories, but as much as he wanted to forget about them he just couldn't. They were a part of him; they were what made him the man he was today.

"I was originally a genin of Konoha; during that time of my life I was alone without any family or friends. I was an orphan. I had to grow up in the streets, and I had to fight for my own survival. I spent a few years in the academy, but soon we had to graduate early due to the Third Shinobi World War. Usually genin graduate at the age of twelve, but during this war Konoha needed soldiers so they lowered the graduation age into eight. I was the dead last of my class, and I was soon appointed into a team with my class' Rookie of the Year, Kakashi Hatake"

Obito venomously spat out Kakashi's name, "He was my greatest rival and even at one point I considered the bastard a friend. I always wanted to outdo Kakashi in every way possible; back in those days I was disillusioned with the dream to become Hokage. That was my goal that was my dream. I worked hard to improve but Kakashi was always ahead of me, he was gifted with natural talent whereas I had to work hard to gain my strength and power" he explained.

"Kakashi was always a strict hard ass when we were genin, he was never late and he never gave excuses. I was the exact opposite, I had a tendency to be tardy and I had a tendency to lie. That always managed to annoy Kakashi" he continued.

Sasuke in the back inwardly sighed, 'So he got that habit from him, great just great' he thought to himself.

"Is it true, was the Yondaime Hokage really your sensei?" Karin asked out of curiosity.

Obito nodded his head accordingly, "Yes Minato was my sensei, the team consisted of me, Minato-sensei, Kakashi, and…" his heart wrenched as his mind drifted to thoughts about her, the woman he loved. He was finding it difficult to utter her name, the pain he felt was excruciating.

The former member of Team Minato could only lower his head to ground, "Then there was her. Rin Nohara" he said lovingly, "The woman I loved for as long as I could remember. I loved her since we were in the academy, but she never loved me back"

He began to clench his fist in anger, and unknowingly his chakra began to flare, "But her sights were always on Kakashi, the son of bitch never deserved her, he never even paid any attention to her" his voice began to rise, as his chakra began to envelope the room.

The room itself began to shake, but none of the Akatsuki members were intimidated, the only exception was of course Karin. The red head shivered in fear, she hid behind Sasuke, and the chakra radiating from Obito was dark and evil, even more so than Sasuke's. She could feel the hate and anger in the man, and it was one of the most powerful emotions she's ever felt.

Obito began to slowly breathe in and out in order to calm himself down, "Her attention and affection were always targeted at Kakashi, despite how poorly he treated her. Kakashi was always one step of me, when I was a genin he quickly became a Chunin, when I became a Chunin he then became a Jonin. It was always like that, and her attention always focused on Kakashi. Of course she congratulated me, and she looked after me, but she always considered me as nothing more of a friend. At the time I accepted it, I placed her happiness above my own. She worked hard to try and gain Kakashi's approval, she was even promoted to a Chunin soon after me, and she was beginning to make a name for herself as a medical ninja" he explained.

Sasuke sat there patiently and listened intently to the man's story, he too was in deep thought. After just listening to the start of his life story, he began to see the similarities and parallels between Team Minato and Team Seven. The young Uchiha glanced at Orochimaru and even he could see that the Sannin was also in deep thought, from his memories the Sannin were also exactly the same.

The young Uchiha simply shook his head, 'This is just one cruel and constant trick of fate' he thought to himself.

"Soon time passed, Kakashi and I still had our rivalry and disagreements but we learned to respect and trust each other. We as a team were given a mission, the objective was to destroy Kanabi Bridge, and this was meant to stop Iwagakure from using Kusagakure as a relief point. During this mission, Minato-sensei was not there to lead us; he was called to the front lines. In his stead Kakashi was chosen as our team's leader considering he was already a Jonin at this time" he explained.

"During the mission, Rin was captured by the enemy and abducted. Kakashi refused to help me save her; the son of the bitch prioritized the mission over Rin's life, even after everything she did for him. That when I snapped, I punched the smug bastard in the face and I said to him, those who break the rules are scum…"

Sasuke's eyes widen upon realization that these were the same words he uttered after Team Seven's bell test, "But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum" he said, Obito glanced at his young relative and nodded.

"I'm guessing he taught you that huh"

Sasuke nodded his head, "Yeah in our first team training after we our bell test" he answered.

Obito scoffed in response, "Anyway later on I went ahead without him in search of Rin. During my search I was surprised by an attack from one of the Iwa ninjas, I had no chance in blocking his attack but luckily Kakashi arrived just in time. As much as I hate to say this, he saved me that day. He fought off the Iwa ninja and won, but he lost his left eye in the process. The Iwa ninja managed to land a hit with his tanto, it left a massive cut on Kakashi's left eye" he explained.

Sasuke nodded in understanding, he was beginning to learn more things about his former sensei. During his time in Team Seven, Kakashi always seemed aloof and distant; despite his calm and perverted façade Sasuke could tell that the masked man carried a burden. He never did tell him about his past, and no one from the team ever asked. At least now he was getting answers for his unasked questions.

"After that small fight, Kakashi and I rushed in to save Rin from her captors. It was a hard fought battle but thankfully we succeeded in the end, we did manage to save Rin. But before we could escape, the Iwa ninjas had a last ditch effort. As we tried to escape the cave where Rin was captured, the Iwa ninja used some earth jutsu to collapse the cave. We had to run for our lives, but as we reached closer to the end, Kakashi tripped and fell to the floor. I ran to his side and pushed him away before a boulder fell and crushed his body" he said while raising a hand to caress his own disfigured face.

A mirthless chuckle erupted from Obito, "As you can tell I took his place, I was the one crushed by the boulder instead. It crushed half of my body, and it left me disfigured for years. The two tried to save me but there was nothing they could do, they had to flee before reinforcements arrived. Before they left I decided to sacrifice one final thing, I wanted to be useful one final time before I passed away. I gave Kakashi my left Sharingan, to replace the eye he lost earlier. Rin was the one who executed the operation, and once the transplant was complete the two of them had to flee from the incoming Iwa reinforcements"

"What happened next? You claim to have died there and yet you stand here before us" said Kabuto.

"To be honest after that moment everything was a blur, I lost consciousness but after Kami knows how long, I woke up. I didn't know where I was, or how I got there but I woke up in some strange base. On my bedside when I woke up was an old man, he seemed fragile and weak, the man had long white spiky hair. He informed me of the extent of my injuries, apparently it was a miracle I even survived. The man saved my life and he gave me eyes once more, during my state of unconsciousness he also transplanted a set of Mangekyo Sharingan into my eye sockets. Before the transplant I lost both my eyes, one was given to Kakashi and the other was crushed by the boulder"

Sasuke raised a suspicious eyebrow, "And just who is this old man?" he asked.

Obito pointed at the coffin in the room, "It was Madara Uchiha, the real Madara" he answered in a stoic tone, "He brought me to his base in Mountains' Graveyard, and I spent years there trying recovering and recuperating so that I could one day return to Konoha. Life there wasn't all that bad, I at least had company in the form of Zetsu and Tobi, the real Tobi that is. During that time though, Madara continuously lectured and scolded me for my immaturity and naiveté, me being the rebellious young kid at the time I disregarded everything he said. It wasn't until much later on that I realized that Madara was right, the world we currently live in is plagued with scum and corruption, and something had to be done if true peace was to be a reality"

Obito sighed in frustration, "But then everything changed that one day, Zetsu arrived back in the base and told us that Kirigakure ninjas were attacking my two former teammates. When I heard that all I wanted to do was escape and help them but unfortunately my body wasn't fully recovered just yet, but thankfully Tobi offered to help me. Tobi was one of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's first victims, and from his encounter with her he managed to gain strange powers. He was just like Zetsu, he wasn't human, and he had a power that allowed him to be used as armour. Of course I accepted his offer, with his help I actually managed to run and escape. Before leaving I remember telling Madara that I wasn't coming back, but of course that wasn't the case" he explained.

"Once I escaped, I ran as fast as I could in search of Rin and Kakashi. I eventually found them" he said as his voice grew darker and darker, "That was when I saw Kakashi murder Rin"

Karin gasped in shock, Sasuke was as well surprised as shown by his widened eyes, however the rest of the Akatsuki were unaffected by this.

"Kakashi had his Chidori plunged through Rin's heart, then he later collapsed. In that time all I saw was blood, I went into a rampage and I slaughtered all the Kiri ninjas in sight. After that massacre I walked over to Rin's dead body, and I cradled her. That was the first time in a long time that I actually cried, to this day my biggest regret was never telling Rin how I felt about her"

Obito's tone then turned sombre at the thought of his lost love, "I left the two behind afterwards and I returned back to Madara, when I arrived back it was as if he was expecting me. I told him about what happened and he understood everything, he told me that there was a way for me to reverse all of this, there was a way for me to finally be with Rin. I was excited when I heard that, I would have done anything to have my Rin back. Madara told me that the way to do this was through his Eye of the Moon Plan" he said.

"That was when I realized that something had to be done, this cycle of war and violence had to end and the only way to do this was through that plan. I wanted nothing more but to bring back Rin, I wanted a world where Rin never had to suffer again, and Madara promised me that all of that could have been arranged. He took me in as his apprentice, and he trained me to be his successor, he was nearing the end of his days at that time and so he imparted everything he knew and had into me. He gave me orders to carry out the second he passed away; he wanted me to act as Madara Uchiha"

"And now here we all are" he concluded.

Kisame stood up from his seat to face Obito, "Frankly I couldn't care less who you really are, I joined the Akatsuki to make a difference, for a long time I found peace to simply be nothing more but an illusion, but your goals makes me think otherwise. Maybe peace can be attained, so even if you're Madara Uchiha or this Obito, I don't give a fuck. I'm living and dying with the Akatsuki" he declared.

Obito turned to face the shark like man and he nodded at him in appreciation. The room stayed silent for a moment until Hidan stood up from his own seat, "I'm with Kisame on this one, I don't care who you are. I am here through the will of Jashin, nothing less and nothing more. Your identity cannot change that, the only thing that can change my mind will be your plans" he added on.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, unlike the other two he didn't bother standing up, "I'm here to change the world, you promised to help me achieve my goals and so I'm staying. But if you ever try to trick me again, I will kill you" he said.

Obito then turned to the rest of Team Taka, "And you three?" he asked.

Suigetsu grinned at the older Uchiha, "If Sasuke stays then so do us" he answered for the group.

Zetsu then spoke up, "I've been helping you since you came to Mountains' Graveyard, why stop now" he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"What about you two?" Obito asked Kabuto and Orochimaru.

Kabuto grinned maniacally as he faced Obito, "Much like the others here I have no problem as to whether you are Madara or not, the reason I'm here is because of your ambitions, that and nothing else" he answered.

"I just have no other choice but to join" Orochimaru added on.

Obito nodded in understanding, a confident smile now widely plastered on his face, "If all this is settled then there is something I must show you all" he said in a dark and evil tone.

"What is it?" asked Suigetsu.

"I'm currently in the process of assembling an army, and I believe its due time you all see this army for yourself. At the moment I have 75,000 troops, but by this time next year we will have 100,000" he declared confidently.

"100,000 soldiers" Karin repeated in shock.

Madara nodded his head, "Yes and these soldiers are unlike any other, and they do not require food or water to live. Their sole purpose is to fight for us and nothing else" he exclaimed.

"Kukuku I'm quite intrigued by this army you speak of, where does your army reside?" Kabuto asked.

"They are all in my hideout in Mountain's Graveyard; it's a simple three day journey from here"

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The Hokage was back at his office quickly going through stacks of paperwork with his clones, the past few weeks had been hectic for him. Thankfully he had his two advisors to help him along the way, without them or his Shadow Clones, Naruto was certain that he wouldn't have managed to get so many things done within that space of time.

The room was silent, Naruto concentrated on the task before him, and he had to read every single document. He didn't want to just sign everything without even knowing what the documents entailed. But the silence was soon broken as Shizune came barging into the office unannounced.

The Hokage's Assistant was breathing heavily, running up the stairs of the tower was no easy task; "I have urgent news Hokage-sama" she declared.

"What is it Shizune?" Naruto asked.

"Hokage-sama there is a large group of people gathered in the front of the village gates; Izumo informed me that they were ninjas and civilians from Amegakure seeking refuge"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, 'Ame refugees, what happened?' he asked himself.

"Why are they here? Did something happen to Amegakure?" Tsunade questioned.

Shizune shrugged, "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama but the report given to me didn't have any specifics or anything, Izumo only told me that they were from Ame and that they were refugees"

"Shizune could you please ask the group to send a representative to my office, I must speak with their leader first" Naruto ordered.

Shizune nodded and bowed to Naruto, "Hai Hokage-sama I'll be right back" she said.

* * *

 **With Shizune**

Shizune ran back down to the tower and towards the village gate, there she found a large group of restless people, many were wounded, hungry, thirsty and exhausted. They were in desperate need of help and shelter, she felt pity for them.

She slowly approached the group, as she drew closer the people began to direct their attention to her. The crowd ceased their arguments and conversations as they watched Shizune, "Please I must speak to your leader, the Hokage requests his presence" she declared.

Among the crowd a lone individual walked to the village's entrance, the crowd of people began to part to allow give their leader space. Shizune's eyes widened as their leader approached her. Her body trembled in fear, her blood grew cold. The figure slowly walking towards her had been the source of her recent nightmares. The woman approaching was the same woman who murdered her, months ago during Pein's attack on Konoha.

Konan limped towards the Hokage's assistant, her face showed no emotion. She felt dead inside; she failed to protect her land, her people, and most importantly her home. Her past mistakes in life had finally caught up to her, and unfortunately the village and people of Amegakure had were caught up in the mix and as a result of this they had to suffer due to her questionable past.

She glanced at the Hokage's assistant, she could see the utter fear in her eyes and quite frankly she couldn't blame her for it. The guilt inside of her increased tenfold, after the events in Amegakure now she had to return to Konoha, the village she helped destroy. But this time she was here to seek for help, her people were desperate for shelter and land; there was no other place to turn to.

Konan vowed to make up for her past sins and help Konoha; she wanted to be there for Naruto as a friend and an ally. But even she felt it was too early to return to Konoha, the memories of her attack were probably still fresh in their minds. After failing her people, she now had to return to one of her biggest regrets, Konohagakure.

"Do not fear I am not here to hurt you or your village. I'm just here to speak to Naruto" she calmly assured.

Shizune bit her lip in apprehension but nodded soon after, "Follow me then" she mumbled softly.

Konan walked just behind Shizune, during their walk to the Hokage's tower Konan noticed the awkward tension in the air. It wasn't just Shizune, as they walked through the streets civilians and shinobi alike all stopped in their tracks upon seeing Konan. Whispers and murmurs began to erupt, Konan could tell that she was the main topic of those whispers, it wasn't difficult to tell.

The children playing in the street had to be taken home by their mothers, just the sight of Konan made the people of Konoha shudder in fear. The attack was still fresh in their minds, the losses and deaths experienced during the attack was enough to scar people for life.

Konan of course chose to ignore all the attention, she expected a reception like this, and it was only fair. Instead of worrying about people's opinions and thoughts about her, she instead focused and admired the large buildings and the bustling community of Konoha.

Even she had to admit that Konoha recovered extremely well after the attack, they seemed to have come back even stronger than ever. All of this was a clear testament towards Naruto's leadership, just the thought of these brought back old memories of Yahiko.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The young blonde Hokage waited patiently for Shizune's return, after a few minutes he began to hear footsteps from outside his office. The door to his office then opened, and through the other side of the doorway Naruto saw Shizune alongside a limping Konan.

Naruto's eyes widen in shock, 'So it is true, something did happen to Ame' he thought to himself.

Tsunade glared at the Ame kunoichi, she was yet to forgive Konan for her actions against Konoha and Jiraiya. But she decided to remain silent; Naruto for some reason seemed to trust her and that was enough for her, at least for now.

Konan entered the room, Shizune on the other hand left as quickly as possible. The lavender haired kunoichi walked to the front of the Hokage's desk before bowing respectfully to the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama it is good to see you again, I just wish it was under better circumstances" she said in a monotone voice.

Naruto nodded, "Konan why are you here? What happened to Amegakure?" he asked.

Konan sighed in defeat, her gaze fell down to the floor, "The Akatsuki attacked us, Madara Uchiha and his apprentice Sasuke Uchiha infiltrated the village. I tried to fight them off but I just couldn't beat them" she replied.

Naruto's fists clenched in anger, he brought them down forcefully onto his desk leaving a large crack, "Dammit all to hell! What happened to your village?" he asked.

"The village is probably now under Akatsuki's control, my ninja corps tried to hold them back as we escaped. But as much as I hate to say this, they probably stood no chance against those two"

"Why would they attack your village?"

"They were there for Nagato's body, they attacked to retrieve the Rinnegan" she answered, Naruto groaned and slumped into his chair.

"Fuck could this get worse? Akatsuki are making massive strides and were still here counting troops of the war, they've already established control over two fucking villages"

Konan raised a single eyebrow, "Two?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah a few days ago my spymaster informed me that Akatsuki has managed to gain control over Otogakure" he answered, "At the moment we are powerless to stop them, the five nations are still in the process of preparation and recuperation, we cannot just send troops out at the drop of a hat"

"Hokage-sama there is another reason why we're here" she said, "With Amegakure gone my people and I have nowhere to go, our home has been captured by the Akatsuki"

"And you're here to ask for shelter am I correct?" interjected Shikamaru.

Konan nodded accordingly, "That is correct" she replied.

Naruto adopted a thinking pose, "I'm not sure if we have any spare homes at the moment but we still have a few refugee centres from when we were still at the start of our rebuilding project. You and your people could move there for now, and I can ask Yamato to possibly work on making a district for the Ame refugees" he suggested.

"That would be excellent Hokage-sama, we are grateful for your help" she said.

Naruto waved it off, "think nothing off it, you would do the same if the roles were reversed. But of course your people will need to help Konoha if you are to transfer into these village" he said.

"Of course, we will do all we can to help. Our civilians are usually skilled in agriculture, architecture and fishing, we also have a few doctors and nurses with us"

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Unfortunately we lack a proper fishing industry here in Konoha, and we usually just import our fishes from neighbouring lands. But I could contact Tazuna, he is the mayor of Nami no Kuni, their main export is fish, I could send a group of my ninjas to escort your fishermen to Nami no Kuni" he suggested.

"Arigato Hokage-sama, this means a great deal for me and my people. I know I have wronged you all in the past but I assure you that I will work hard to redeem myself"

Naruto smiled softly at the former Akatsuki member, "Konan all that is water under the bridge, I bear no grudge to you or Nagato. The people of Konoha may not fully forgive you yet, but I feel that if given time then the old wounds will heal" he said.

Konan smiled back at the blonde Hokage; to this day she still couldn't believe that there was someone as benevolent and kind-hearted as Naruto. The young man had a heart of gold.

"I am also more than willing to accept you and your ninjas into Konoha's ninja corps. They will of course have to be given mandatory tests before they can become official ninjas of Konoha, but if they want then they can be given the opportunity to join"

Konan's bottom lip began to tremble as tears began to well up in her eyes, she was a woman who refused to show weakness but in this moment she couldn't hold the tears back anymore. Before today the last time she shed tears was during Yahiko's death, since then she vowed never to show weakness again, she had to be strong not only for her but for Nagato as well.

When Nagato died she held back the tears, after failing to protect Amegakure she still held back her tears, but now the kindness Naruto was showing her finally brought her to tears. All of her pent up emotions were released that moment, a whirlwind of emotions were swirling inside of her.

She felt pain for failing Nagato and Amegakure, she felt regret for playing a part at killing Jiraiya, she felt anger at how the new Akatsuki was desecrating Yahiko's and Nagato's views and dreams, she felt relief knowing that at least now her people had a chance at a fresh start, and finally she felt grateful for Naruto, as of today she was indebted to the young man.

Konan stared at Naruto with her tear stained eyes, "This is more than we could have ever hoped for, I believe I can speak for my people when I say thank you. Naruto you don't know us, and yet you are giving us a second chance in life, I may have wronged you and yet you come to my aid. I'm ashamed of the things I've done but I promise you that all of those are in the past, as of today I pledge my allegiance to you and Konoha" she declared proudly.

Naruto smiled at Konan's impassioned response, "Thank you Konan, we will need all the help we can get. We will stop the Akatsuki, we will finally achieve peace in this world, all of that I assure you" exclaimed Naruto.

Konan nodded as she wiped away the tears, "This Akatsuki is a disgrace, and it is nothing more than a disgusting impostor of the real Akatsuki. The Akatsuki I formed with Yahiko and Nagato strived for peace; we fought for peace that was what fuelled us. I will not rest until this fake Akatsuki is destroyed, I will not allow them to further tarnish Yahiko and Nagato's dreams and aspirations. They will pay for everything they've done" she ardently proclaimed.

* * *

 **With Akatsuki**

"Were finally here" said Obito, he and the Akatsuki finally arrived in the secret base located in an underwater cavern in the Mountains' Graveyard.

It took the group three days of travelling for them to arrive, the whole lot of them were anxious to see this supposed super army Obito created.

"Come follow me"

Obito walked on ahead and just behind him the Akatsuki followed on by one, they passed through a dark abandoned hallway. At the end of the hallway was a wooden door, once each member passed through the door their eyes widened in shock upon seeing the colossal intimidating statue in the middle of the room. The room itself was enormous to be able to house that statue.

"What the hell is that?" Karin yelled out in surprise.

Obito grinned sadistically, "That my dear is the Heretical Demon Statue, when the time comes we will bring that statue to life, the alliance will not stand a chance" he answered.

Kabuto stared in awe at the statue, "Amazing, truly remarkable" he mumbled to himself.

"This isn't even the highlight of the visit, come follow me I'll show you the army" he said.

The group slowly took their eyes away from the statue; they instead began to follow Obito up through a large case of stairs. During this time they passed through other notable features in the base, they found Obito's laboratory and later on they even found the Shodai Hokage's artificial body. Obito gave them a quick explanation, but in the end he was too preoccupied with the army. That was his main focus for the visit.

Soon the whole group came across another wooden door, "Good were finally here" said Obito. The Uchiha walked past the door with his fellow Akatsuki members just behind him, as they passed through the door they were greeted by the sight of thousands of White Zetsu Clones all standing in a large opening inside the underground base.

The group as a whole was in awe at the sight, nobody could utter a single word. When they first heard Obito speak of the army they believed it to be a bit of an over exaggeration, but now after seeing the army first-hand they learned not to doubt their leader.

"Amazing isn't it?" he asked with a smug grin on his face, "Each and every one of those Zetsu clones are armed with the power of Mokuton"

* * *

 **With Konan**

Days have passed since her arrival in Konoha, since then she and her people have been integrated into Konoha. From the Ame ninjas who joined Konoha, she was the only one who was instantly promoted to a Jonin, while the rest of them consisted of Chunin and Genin. Unfortunately most of the high ranking ninjas of Ame stayed behind to fight off both Sasuke and Madara.

Konan was walking through the streets of Konoha with her new Jonin uniform, people still avoided her like the plague but she was fine with it. She wasn't too bothered by this; she instead focused on earning the people's trust first then in time their opinions may change.

She didn't have any particular destination, Konan just walked around the village exploring the new sights and surroundings around her. After a while she ended up walking through the newly built training grounds, sunny and vibrant atmosphere in Konoha was the complete opposite to Amegakure's wet and rainy nights.

Konan soon ended up finding a memorial nearby the training grounds; this memorial stone piqued her interest. She walked closer to the large black stone, she inspected it closer and she saw the names etched into the stone.

"Those are the names of the people who have died in service to Konoha"

Konan turned to her back only to find another Jonin standing there, "How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

The Jonin shrugged, "I just got here now, I'm Kakashi by the way" he replied.

Konan studied the man in front of him and by the name she realized that he was the infamous Kakashi Hatake, "What are you doing here?" she questioned suspiciously.

Kakashi chuckled mirthlessly, "I'm just here to visit a few friends" he said, the masked Jonin walked towards the monument and placed a bouquet flowers in front of it.

Konan's expression softened as she watched the man stare at the stone, she could see his hurt expression; it reminded her of herself.

"Who were they?"

"My teammates and my sensei, all their names are etched into this stone. I'm the last one out of us four" Kakashi answered.

She nodded in understanding, "I completely understand how you must feel, I am also the last of my team" she said.

Kakashi glanced at Konan through the corner of his eye; he chose not to reply for now and instead he quickly finished his prayer. Once he was done he stood up from a kneeling position and proceeded to dust himself.

"Since your new here why don't I give you the village tour" Kakashi said with a smile underneath his mask.

Konan raised an eyebrow out of surprise, "You're not leaving or fleeing instantly? Everyone else has so far" she said.

Kakashi shrugged, "My student seems to trust you, and I fully trust my student's judgement" he replied.

"Your Naruto's sensei?" she asked.

The masked ninja nodded, "Yup I'm the sensei of Team Seven, so what do you say to a small tour around the village, I'm sure no one has showed you the sights just yet" he replied.

Konan thought about it for a second, she wasn't sure whether to accept or trust this man but from the tone of his voice she could tell that he held no animosity to her, which was strange in itself. Soon the lavender haired Jonin sighed in defeat.

"I don't see why not" she calmly replied.

Kakashi clapped his two hands and smiled at the former Akatsuki member, "In that case let me first show you the Hokage's Monument. Have you been there yet?" he asked.

Konan shook her head, "No not really, I usually just walk around the streets aimlessly" she answered.

"Okay then in that case you're going to want to see the view from the Monument, hell Naruto's mug is going to be there soon enough as well"

Konan chuckled softly, "I still can't believe that the young man I met a few months ago is already the Hokage of Konoha" she replied.

"Imagine my reaction then, I trained him since he was a genin and now he's surpassed me"

* * *

 **With Akatsuki**

"You wanted to speak to us Obito?" asked Kabuto.

Obito nodded his head, "Yes Kabuto, I have a mission for you and Orochimaru" he answered.

"Kukuku what do you need us to do then?"

"I know a way to enhance the powers of our White Zetsu Army, and this I where you two step in. If I'm not mistaken Orochimaru, you experimented with the Shodai's cells and DNA am I correct?"

Orochimaru nodded, "Yes I injected the Shodai's cells on my test subjects in Konoha, out of the sixty children I used for this experiment, only one came out alive. I believe he goes by Yamato nowadays" he answered.

A sadistic grin began to form on Obito's face, "Well for this I need you to use your old notes on the Shodai's cells, maybe you could find a way to further increase the power of the White Zetsu Army. If you could help them replicate Yamato's powers then that would only make our force that much more formidable" he explained.

Kabuto and Orochimaru nodded their heads, "It shall be done" they said simultaneously

* * *

 **With Konan**

She and Kakashi finally arrived at the top of the Hokage Monument, the two of them stood on top of the Sandaime's head watching and admiring the view of Konoha.

"Your right the view from here is breathtaking" she said, "Just seeing this makes me realize just how different Konoha is to Ame"

Kakashi whipped out his favourite book from his Jonin vest and began reading, "How so?" he asked.

Konan turned to face Kakashi, her eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the sight of that book. The book brought her memories of her old sensei, but not necessarily her most pleasant memories of the man.

"I see you read my sensei's works" she pointed out.

Kakashi nodded, "By work you mean masterpiece" he replied, Konan rolled her eyes she remembered Yahiko also reading those books in the past.

"Jiraiya-sama was a good man" said Kakashi.

Konan smiled softly as she stared into the sky, "Yeah he was" she mumbled.

Hours soon pass, the two just stayed by the Hokage Monument admiring the view of Konoha. After a while the pair began to tell stories about each other's past, Konan told Kakashi stories about her time with Jiraiya, Yahiko and Nagato. Kakashi on the other hand told her about his time with both Team Minato and Team Seven.

Neither of them knew exactly why they told their stories to the other, they hadn't even known each other for too long. In a way both of them shared the same type of pain, a pain not many can understand, and there was something about that which made them equally approachable. Nobody else in Konoha could understand their pain, except for one another.

By the end of the day the two felt relief and freedom, expressing their feelings and thoughts lightened the load and burden they carried inside their hearts.

"We should do this more often, this has been quite fun" said Kakashi.

Konan nodded her head in agreement, "Yes we should" she replied.

Kakashi then began to laugh softly out of the blue, Konan looked back at him out of curiosity; "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing it's just funny when I think about it" he replied.

"What's so funny?"

"I just never thought I'd tell anyone about my past, it is something that only a few people really know about. Yet here I am spilling my guts out to you, it's strange and I can't really explain it. But I just felt that I could trust you, you know"

"I feel the exact same way, I locked away my feelings the day Yahiko died but recently since meeting Naruto I've been beginning to open up, and then you came along" she replied.

"I guess you could say that were just two broken people living in a broken world"

"Maybe we could fix each other"

Kakashi glanced at Konan and smiled, "Yeah maybe" he said.

After a while the two decided it was time to leave, the sun was setting and it was best that they returned to their homes. Kakashi being the gentleman that he was chose to escort Konan back to the Refugee Centre. The two walked through the streets of Konoha in silence, both in deep thought after their revealing and emotional conversation.

Soon they arrived by the doorstop of the Refugee Centre, "Well here we are "said Kakashi.

Konan nodded, "Yeah here we are" she replied, "Thanks again for today I had fun"

"I did as well" replied Kakashi.

Konan grabbed the doorknob leading to the Refugee Centre, but before heading back she decided to take a risk. She walked over to Kakashi and tiptoed to give him a small kiss on the cheek, "Let's do this again someday" she said before quickly entering the centre.

Kakashi was left wide eyed and speechless; he never expected something like this to happen. His hand touched the area she kissed, "Well that was interesting" he said to himself.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Here is Chapter 16 and I hope you guys liked it. Just a reminder for you guys, I did go back to my past chapters to fix a few things up. If you want to know what they are then you could either check out chapters 14 and 15 again, or just head over to the Author's Notice on the top of the chapter, there is a summarized version there. I also updated my other stories today, so if you're interested then please head over to my profile and check them out.

Like I said a while ago the last major pairing has been revealed and it is Kakashi x Konan, I'm not too sure if this has been used before but I decided to just try it out for this story. I saw an opportunity to do so and I took it. So as of right now the major pairings of the story are NaruSaku, ShikaTema, NejiHina, SasuKarin, KakaKonan, GaaMatsu, NejiHina, KibaIno and LeeTen. Currently I am also holding a poll for my story God of Shinobi, it is a poll for the pairing choice so please head over there and vote for your favourite and preferred pairing.

Anyway I hope you guys liked this chapter, if you did then please favourite/follow the story if you haven't already. Remember that if or when the story reaches a thousand favourites I will write a bonus fan service chapter for everyone. If you guys have any questions or suggestions then feel free to leave a comment or send me a message. I value everyone's opinions. Thanks again for reading!


	17. The Jonin Vote

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey everyone Chapter 17 is finally ready, this was a much more political chapter but the action will begin again soon. After this chapter Naruto will finally begin his journey to head over to the turtle island to train with Killer Bee, and soon the war chapters will begin as well.**

 **While I'm here I'd like to address a certain topic as well, it is about one of my stories, God of Shinobi. I updated it recently but after reading the whole story again I was unsatisfied with how it went and how I wrote it, and after much thought I've decided to rewrite the whole story. Currently I'm working on my planning sheet for the story and I'm working on the plot right now, there were many things I was annoyed with in my writing for that story so that all led me to start again from scratch. So sorry to all those who followed the story and sorry to all those who voted on the polls for that story, I apologize to those people but I assure you that the revised version of that story will be better than before. I will be working on it and I plan to upload the story again sometime in the next month or two months. Thanks for understanding, and once again sorry for the whole inconvenience.**

 **Also sorry for the long delay, my initial plan was to upload a chapter before my exams started but obviously that didn't work out. For the past few weeks I have been busy with the exams but I am glad to say that my exams are over, but since the vacations begun I went back home and I've been spending some time with the family, so really haven't been able to find the time to write. I've been enjoying my time so far, but I do feel bad for not being to update my stories. So I'm really sorry to my followers and readers for the long delay, I'm currently working on the latest chapters of Child of Prophecy and Yondaime's Legacy, hopefully I can update it next week.**

 **Anyway thanks everyone and I hope you understand my decision, but aside from that please favourite and/or follow this story and my others if you haven't already. Please also leave a comment or review if you have any questions or suggestions, you could also just message me for. Thanks everyone and I hope you guys enjoy my latest chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: The Jonin Vote**

The big day had finally come, it was the Jonin Vote. Naruto's true future as the Hokage was now about to be confirmed, Naruto was confident on his chances but there was still an inch of doubt creeping in the back of his mind.

Naruto sat by his bedside in deep thought but he was soon broken from his thoughts.

"Are you alright? Nervous?"

He turned to face his newly awoken girlfriend, "Yeah a bit, I know I shouldn't worry too much but there's a voice in my head constantly reminding me of the possibility of losing the vote" he replied with a mirthless chuckle.

Sakura sat up from the bed and stretched her limbs, she then crawled over to Naruto and lovingly embraced him from behind, "No need to worry, you've done so much for Konoha as it is. They would be fools not to vote for you, as far as I'm concerned there is no better choice for Hokage" she said.

A small and grateful smile graced Naruto's lips; he turned around and planted a loving kiss on the pinkette's lips. After a few seconds the two parted with blushes adorning their cheeks, "Thanks Sakura-chan, I really needed to hear that" said Naruto.

"No problem" she replied before glancing up at the clock, "We should probably get ready soon, the vote is scheduled to begin in a few hours"

Naruto nodded in agreement, he then formed a familiar seal as he summoned two shadow clones. There was no words needed, the clones knew what they were there for, the duo quickly walked down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the two.

"Sakura-chan we should probably take a shower now" he said as a lecherous grin appeared on his face, "We might as well share the shower, it'll save us some time"

The Godaime's apprentice rolled her eyes before walking over to the bathroom door, "Well come on then baka, we better not be late" she answered. Naruto inwardly smiled as he hastily ran to the bathroom. Minutes passed as Naruto and Sakura hurriedly completed their morning rituals, after taking their shared shower they quickly ate their breakfast before dressing up for the big occasion.

The two were now walking through the streets of Konoha on their way towards the Hokage's Office. The people and villagers of Konoha continuously greeted the two with a sense of respect and awe, Naruto for obviously being the Hokage and Sakura for being the Godaime Hokage's Apprentice.

After a few more minutes the two finally arrived in the office, upon entering the office the pair quickly noticed the five other people in the room. Naturally the two remaining elders were there, Homura and Koharu were accompanied by the Jonin Commander himself, Shikaku Nara, and finally there were Naruto's two personal advisors, Shikamaru and Tsunade.

"You got here just in time Naruto, a few seconds later and you would've been late" said Shikamaru.

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah we kind of woke up late" he replied, Sakura meanwhile rolled her eyes fully knowing that he was lying to them.

"Troublesome, well the vote is going to begin in an hour and were already gathering those who meet the criteria needed to vote. At the moment there's nothing you could do Naruto, I guess you could just sit here and wait, when we come back we'll give you the results of the vote"

Naruto nodded in understanding, he walked over to his seat in the office with Sakura by his side. The others meanwhile left the room one by one with each of them prepared to cast their votes to help determine the fate of their Hokage and of their village.

* * *

 **Later that Day**

The Hokage's Office was dead silent. Naruto sat there in deep thought, as for Sakura she sat just beside him reading a small book to pass the time. Hours had passed and there was still no sign or indication of a verdict.

Was he to stay as Konoha's Hokage or was he going to return to being just as average ninja in the village. After everything he's accomplished thus far as the young Hokage Naruto was led to believe that he was probably going to retain his role as the village's Hokage, but then again nothing was set in stone. Naruto knew it was foolish to worry about things that he had no control over, but this was something that could not only change Naruto's life forever, but it could have a massive effect on the upcoming war, Naruto was after all named the Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

A few moments later, the two suddenly heard creeping footsteps. This caught the attention of the pair; both Naruto and Sakura turned their attention to the front door. Soon the door opened and Naruto was greeted by his returning advisors. It was clear that they returned with the result of the vote, but from their emotionless poker faces Naruto couldn't tell if they returned with either good or bad news for him.

He was sweating bullets as he faced the large group, "Welcome back, so what was the result of the Jonin Vote?" he said in a nervous tone. The group slowly began to glance at one another until Tsunade nodded her head; she walked to the front of the Hokage's desk. The Godaime Hokage faced her successor the Rokudaime Hokage.

Naruto was still confused as to what was happening, Tsunade stood in front of his desk with an expressionless look on her face. Slowly after a few moments the corner of her lips slowly turned into a smirk, "Gaki stand up" she said in a no nonsense tone. Naruto hastily stood from his seat to face Tsunade eye to eye.

"I Tsunade Senju, the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato name you Naruto Uzumaki as my rightful successor as Hokage. From this day forth you are now officially the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure"

Naruto's eyes widen in disbelief, the young blonde quickly jumped up in joy before running to his pink haired girlfriend. The exuberant blonde hugged the pinkette and lifted her from the ground, Sakura was laughing as twisted her in the air, she was just as happy as he was at this moment.

The large group watched the pair with smiles on their faces; they decided not to interrupt the two and to instead let them have their moment. After twirling Sakura up in the air, Naruto slowly brought her down to his lips, the two celebrated with a loving kiss.

The pair was separated by a small cough from Tsunade. They quickly remembered how they weren't the only ones in the room. The two ceased their affectionate actions and turned to the large group of people standing in the room; both of them had blushes adorning their cheeks.

"Keep your hormones in check" Tsunade said jokingly, "Naruto as I said a while ago, the Jonin Vote has been counted and for the first time in Konoha's history you won by unanimous vote. Every single Jonin in Konoha placed their trust and belief in you"

Naruto's eyes widen in shock, he didn't expect the vote to be unanimous. There wasn't a single vote against him; Naruto felt humbled by this, never in his wildest dreams did he ever think this would happen in his life.

Shikaku saw Naruto's speechless state; he walked up to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Hokage-sama right now we have ANBU gathering the people of Konoha to the front of this tower. We scheduled an announcement to the public to read out the votes. I think it would be for the best if you address the public as well" he said.

Naruto shook his head and stared at the Jonin Commander, "But I haven't prepared a speech or anything" he replied.

Shikaku merely shrugged, "From what I've heard that hasn't stopped you before, just go out and wing it. I'm sure you'll do just fine"

"He's right you know, a speech by the Hokage himself could increase the morale of the populace. This could certainly help us during these troubling times" Koharu added on.

Naruto nodded in understanding before walking towards the window in his office overlooking the village, just outside the tower he could see the large groups of people making their way towards the tower. The young blonde turned to face his advisors, "Very well then, I'll give a speech" he said.

* * *

 **Hokage's Tower**

Up on the balcony of the tower stood Tsunade with the Hokage's hat adorning her head, on her left was Koharu and Homura, and on her right stood Shikaku as the Jonin Commander and Kakashi as the ANBU Commander. Naruto stood just behind them away from the view of the public; he was waiting for his time to be called onto the stage.

Tsunade studied the massive crowd in front of her; the people remained silent as they waited for the Godaime to begin her announcement.

"People of Konoha the result of the Jonin Vote has been counted, and I am pleased to say that by unanimous decision, Naruto Uzumaki remains as the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. As the Godaime Hokage, I would like to call forth my successor, the Rokudaime Hokage himself"

Naruto then walked up to the front of the balcony to a roaring applause, he could claps, cheers and whistles directed at him. He couldn't help but smile at the gracious reception he was getting from the public. The two advisors and the two commanders made way for Naruto as he walked to the Godaime's side; the two Hokages faced each other with a proud grin on both their faces.

Tsunade then took off the Hokage's hat from her head and slowly placed it on top of Naruto's, "Congratulations gaki, you've finally done it" she whispered softly.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Thanks for everything, I couldn't have done this without you" he replied. The young blonde then turned to face the adorning public, the cheers and applause grew even stronger as the people faced their Rokudaime Hokage.

There was a ceremony similar to this when Naruto was first chosen as the Hokage by the Fire Daimyo, but now the appointment was official and permanent for Naruto. He was now truly the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha, his dreams have come true.

After all his hardships and heartbreaks, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The time, work and effort Naruto put into his craft earned him his dream, he grew from becoming Konoha's demon brat to the village's saviour, and he went from the academy prankster to the Hokage. Nothing was impossible, and nothing was out of reach.

Life gave Naruto twists and turns, the past few months had even been a roller coaster for the young blonde. His master had been killed, his village destroyed, a war was declared and his best friend tried to kill him. But at the same time he rebuilt Konoha back from the ground up, he gained Sakura's love, he has grown stronger than ever before, and finally he achieved his dream to become the Hokage of Konoha.

After minutes of continuous applause the crowd soon quieted down to allow Naruto the chance to give them his speech. Naruto breathed in and out to calm himself down, this whole speech was going to be from the top of his head.

"I'm pleased to be here in front of you all as the Rokudaime Hokage; to this day I can't believe that all this is actually true. I used to dream of this day, but due to my doubts I always thought that it would remain that way, nothing but a dream. But now I stand here with my dream having been achieved, I stand here as Hokage. There are many people who I want to thank for this honour, without their help, guidance and selflessness then I assure you all I would not be here today"

Now came the difficult part, after much thought Naruto had decided it was finally time, it was time to announce his heritage. The stage was set and the time was right, no longer as Konoha in danger of a war if his heritage was announced, there was a bigger threat to the world as of right now and it was in the form of the Akatsuki. These past few days there haven't been much to uplift the people's spirits and morale, aside from this appointment there was nothing, and so this announcement could just be what Konoha needs at this point in time.

"People such as my past teachers and friends have each had a hand in making me the man I am today. But I would like to give a special thanks to my parents Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, they made the ultimate sacrifice for me and I couldn't ask for better parents"

The crowd gasped in shock and they stayed silent for a few moments, the people examined Naruto and after properly studying his features it all made sense. They couldn't believe how blind they had been for years, he looked almost exactly like their beloved Yondaime Hokage, and the only major difference was the whiskers.

Just like that the crowd's cheers roared even louder than ever before, the village of Konoha celebrated not only their Rokudaime Hokage but also their Yondaime Hokage, Minato's blood lived on in Naruto.

* * *

 **Days Later**

The streets of Konoha were lined full of game booths and food stalls, all dedicated for the village's celebration of their new Hokage. The village was even littered with lanterns to serve as lighting for the large party in the Hokage's honour.

Naruto walked through those same streets wearing a formal black yukata, and by his side was none other than Sakura. The pinkette wore a simple white yukata with pink cherry blossom designs. Her arm was looped around Naruto's arm, and her head gently rested on his shoulder.

Throughout that whole time she stayed in that position to ward off the Hokage's new fan girls, after all since becoming Konoha's youngest Hokage Naruto had also become one of Konoha's most desirable men. His selfless actions and heroic deeds earned him the praise and adoration of the village, and at the same time the love and longing of the village's female populace, and with Naruto being as clueless as he was, Sakura had to be there to watch over him just in case.

Soon the pair came upon the dance floor in the middle of Konoha's market district, there was slow music being played and there were various couples dancing with one another. Naruto and Sakura slowed down and observed the dance floor; they saw a few of their friends enjoying their time there. Neji was dancing with his fiancé Hinata, even Kakashi was there dancing with Konan.

Sakura's interest was piqued by this sight; she tiptoed and leaned over to her boyfriend's ear.

"Naruto-kun can we please go dancing?" she asked in an overly sweet tone, the young Hokage simply gulped nervously at the request. He turned to glance down at Sakura and he could see the excitement in her eyes at the prospect of the two of them slow dancing. Naruto always tried his best to make Sakura happy and he usually never had a problem with any of her requests, but for this particular request he was nervous.

The blonde leaned down to his girlfriend's ear, "Sakura-chan can we please do something else? I'd rather not dance?" he whispered nervously.

Sakura inwardly chuckled seeing Naruto's anxious behaviour, "I never thought I'd ever see you nervous. What's so bad about dancing?" she said in a teasing tone.

"Yeah but Sakura-chan, I've never danced before. I'll look like a total jackass if I dance"

The pinkette merely rolled her eyes, "Naruto you won't be that bad, and if you're worried about looking like a jackass then don't be. You've proven that you're a jackass already with all the dumb pranks you've pulled" she replied.

"Sakura-chan" Naruto whined in a childish tone, "Come on I wasn't that bad as a kid"

The Godaime's apprentice raised a single questioning eyebrow at the young blonde, Naruto sighed in defeat knowing that what he said was far from the truth.

"Alright you may have a point there" he said.

"May have a point? Naruto you painted and vandalized the Hokage Monument even before you were promoted to a genin. Then there were the pranks you also pulled inside of class, Kami only knows what you did when you were outside of class"

Naruto's shoulders slumped and his head lowered in defeat, "Okay maybe you have a solid point there. You happy now?" he asked.

Sakura nodded with a smile adorning her face, "Yeah, so how about this dance Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Alright then, but don't complain to me if you end up looking like an idiot as well" he warned.

"Don't worry Naruto, I promise it won't be that bad. Just follow my lead and we'll be able to get through this with our dignity and reputation intact"

Naruto nodded in understanding but he was still hesitant about the whole thing, Sakura grabbed him by the hand and led him to the dance floor. She slowly instructed Naruto where to place his hands and where to step as they danced. Naruto was slightly nervous at first but after assurances from Sakura he began to grow in confidence.

He was still far from being an expert on the matter, but he was certain that at least he didn't make a fool of himself. The two of them danced slowly for what seemed like hours, in truth it had only been a few minutes but the pair was lost in the moment. At this point in time nothing else mattered, they were in each other's arms and that was all there was to it.

Soon time flew by and the couple failed to realize just how long they spent on the dance floor, after this the two decided to head off into a different direction, this time towards the banquet.

Upon arriving in the banquet, Naruto was quick to rush over to the food; he worked up quite an appetite after all that dancing and walking around. Sakura was dragged along by Naruto but she didn't mind, he did go with her to the dance floor and this was his reward for going along with it.

Naturally Naruto grabbed a plate of food enough to make an even an Akimichi full, Sakura on the other hand took a smaller serving that was more than enough for an average human being. The couple then sat by the tables and slowly ate their meal. While the two were enjoying their food, a familiar voice called out to them.

"Naruto I'm glad I finally found you, I've been looking all over for you gaki. You have an honorary guest" the voice said.

The blonde Hokage turned towards to his back only to find Tsunade walking towards their direction and beside her was none other than Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure.

Naruto quickly used a napkin to wipe his mouth; he then stood up from his seat and approached the former Hokage and the current Kazekage.

"Gaara" he greeted enthusiastically.

The Kazekage nodded at the Hokage and offered a handshake; Naruto ignored it and gave his good old friend a bear hug. Gaara was shocked by this; he had no experience handling these sorts of things so he instead gently patted Naruto's back.

"Hey buddy it's good to see you here, what brings you to my village?" the Hokage asked while releasing the Kazekage from that hug.

Gaara dusted himself off slightly before turning to face Naruto, "I heard that the celebration for your inauguration was today, so I decided to travel hear to celebrate with you. I actually brought my two siblings along, they're acting as my bodyguards for this trip" he replied in an emotionless tone.

Despite the lack of emotion Naruto could tell that Gaara was happy for him, "Thanks for coming by, so where are Temari and Kankuro anyway?" he asked with a large smile adorning his face.

"Right now Temari is in search of the Nara boy, your bodyguard during the Five Kage Summit. As for Kankuro, he is probably in the dance floor making a fool of himself"

Naruto nodded and laughed, all of the Konoha Eleven knew of Shikamaru and Temari's relationship, they acted only as friends but everyone could see past that façade, the two were clearly heavily infatuated with one another. It didn't take a love expert to see that.

Tsunade chuckled watching the two interact, it was strange to see how these two were close friends, and they couldn't be any more different. The former Hokage shook her head and decided it was best to leave these two Kages alone, as of right now she was no longer the Hokage of Konoha that job was now down to her successor, Naruto.

"Hey gaki I'll be heading out now, if you need me just look for me in one of the open bars"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he watched Tsunade's fleeting figure, "Typical" he muttered softly.

"I heard that you brat" Tsunade yelled back in anger.

Gaara then saw Sakura approach the three, he nodded as well towards at her direction, "It's good to see you again Sakura, and I trust that you're doing well" he said.

The pinkette nodded with a small smile gracing her lips, "Yes I am doing very well Kazekage-sama" she said while latching onto Naruto's arm.

Gaara quickly noticed this and a small smirk appeared on the corner of his lips, "I see you two are finally an item, it's about damn time" he said.

The pair blushed and chuckled, "Yeah I guess you could say that Gaara. Things have been going well for me since the Summit" he replied, quickly after this his expression quickly turned serious as he faced his fellow Kage, "Actually Gaara that reminds me, there are things about the Akatsuki that we must discuss"

Gaara raised a single hand to stop Naruto, "Now is not the time to talk about the Akatsuki, Naruto. Today is a day of celebration, there is no need to dampen today's mood, and this day should be dedicated to honour your rise to Hokage and the new age dawning upon your village. We will have many opportunities to speak about the Akatsuki in the future, for now we shouldn't dwell on these negative thoughts. Let's just enjoy ourselves for today"

Naruto's eyes were widened slightly in surprise, after a few seconds the blonde Hokage began to chuckle softly, "Yeah I guess your right Gaara, we should enjoy and cherish these times while we still have them" he replied in a solemn tone.

"Oh there you are Gaara-sama" said a feminine voice.

The group turned towards the sound of the voice and they found a slender, fair skinned brunette with dark eyes. The mysterious girl walked over to the group to stand by Gaara's side, she had a large smile as she faced the Hokage.

"Oh yes how I could forget, this is my date for the celebration Matsuri" said Gaara.

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widen in shock as they stared at the two, never in their wildest dreams that they would have ever thought that they would see Gaara with a date. It was not meant to be an insult towards Gaara's appearance or personality, but he just never seemed interested in the fairer sex or sex in general, much like Sasuke. Those two always seemed too preoccupied with other more important matters.

The brunette then bowed to the couple, "Hi I'm Matsuri, it's nice to finally meet you Hokage-sama, and you too Sakura-sama. I've heard so many stories about you too and I must say it is an honour and a privilege to stand here before you" she said in a cheerful tone.

"It's nice to meet you too Matsuri-san, there is no need to bow. A friend of Gaara's is a friend of ours" said Naruto.

"So Matsuri is this your first time here in Konoha?" asked Sakura.

The brunette nodded, "It is actually, I've never really been outside of Land of Wind. Most of the missions assigned to me and my team are more or less within the borders of the Land of Wind" she replied.

Sakura then walked over to her and grabbed her hand, "Then allow me to give you a tour of Konoha" she said in an enthusiastic tone.

Matsuri smiled in return, "I'd like that" she replied before turning to the Kazekage, "I'll meet back with you later Gaara-sama"

The Kazekage nodded in acknowledgement, "Naruto, with our dates gone there is actually something I wanted to discuss with you, Kage to Kage" he said.

Naruto noticed Gaara's stern and serious expression; he then led him to one of the unoccupied tables in the banquet. The two sat on opposite sides, "What's the matter Gaara?" he asked in concern.

Gaara breathed a deep breath to calm himself down, "I would like to offer you an arranged marriage" he said with his eyes firmly glued onto Naruto's own.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, he hastily stood up from his seat and raised his hands in defence, "Whoa there Gaara, sorry to break it to you but I don't roll that way" he replied nervously.

Gaara sighed and rolled his eyes, "I didn't mean it like that, I'm offering to arrange a marriage for my sister to someone from this village, preferably Shikamaru" he said.

The Hokage breathed a sigh of relief as he sat back down to his seat; he chuckled awkwardly at the embarrassing scene he caused.

"Sorry about that Gaara, you should have just said so earlier. I guess that can be arranged, I know Shikamaru has a thing for her, but that lazy ass just doesn't want to admit it"

Gaara nodded his head in agreement, "The same thing could be said about Temari, she is too headstrong and prideful to admit her infatuation over the Nara boy" he replied.

"Personally I wouldn't say that Shikamaru is headstrong or prideful, he's just too lazy and uninspired to do anything about it. He finds everything troublesome, but even with his laziness I guess Shikamaru's not that bad. His brain is probably his one redeeming factor"

"So do we have an agreement here?"

Naruto nodded in response as he shook the Kazekage's hand, "Yes Gaara, I'll make sure this is arranged" he answered.

"Very well then, I'll inform Temari of this as soon as we meet back at the hotel" he replied.

"I'll do the same with Shikamaru" Naruto said as a sinister smile began to form, "I can't wait to see the lazy bastard's reaction"

* * *

 **Later that day**

After Naruto and Gaara's small meeting between Kages, the two of them went to go search for their respective dates. After a while the two managed to find Sakura walking through Konoha with Matsuri, the Kazekage took his own date and bid the other two goodbye.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura went for a small stroll across the village. It was interesting seeing the village in such a celebratory state, Konoha was a lively and vibrant village but this took it to another level. During their small walk through the village, the pair managed to see all their friends along the way, each of them celebrating in their own way, and most of them with a significant other.

It was strange seeing almost everyone paired off, immediately during the start of their walk Naruto and Sakura quickly noticed Shikamaru and Temari also going on their own walk. Naruto couldn't help but grin cheekily at seeing the two, they were in for one hell of a surprise soon enough.

After that, they even saw Kiba with his own date and to both Naruto's and Sakura's surprise it was with none other than Konoha's Gossip Queen, Ino. Both the Inuzuka and Yamanaka failed to notice the Hokage and his date, but Sakura took a quick note of this scene, it was about time those two found someone. Until learning of Naruto's past escapades, Ino and Kiba were probably considered two of the most promiscuous members of the Konoha Eleven.

Other notable couples were seen together during their walk across the village, of course they saw Neji with his fiancé Hinata once more, and they also saw Kakashi and Konan together again. Both the blonde and pinkette were intrigued and surprised by the latter's interaction with one another, in the end they decided to leave the two be, but they both decided that they had to interrogate their sensei about this sometime in the future. Aside from these, they also saw Tenten enjoying the game booths with Lee, and they also found Shino walking around with Kiba's own sister, Hana.

Among all of them Choji was the only one without a date, but the Akimichi didn't seem bothered. He was too preoccupied with the food booths to fully notice, but even then he seemed content.

Time soon passed and the couple decided it was time to finally call it day; the two finished their walk by heading over to their mansion. It was a good day overall, certainly one of the most fun and romantic days in both Naruto's and Sakura's lives.

* * *

 **Council Room**

Two months had passed since the Jonin Vote, and after seeing Konoha's progress during the past couple of months, Naruto decided it was finally time. The whole council was gathered in their usual meeting room, Naruto had his ANBU gather all the clan heads, advisors, commanders and civilian council members for this important announcement.

"I called you all here today with some good news, I was just recently given a report by Yamato. At the moment the reconstruction project is finally finished. We've managed to rebuild the clan lands, the academy, and the hospital, along with other forms of infrastructure. In fact we've even managed to build a whole district dedicated to the Amegakure refugees. With this project finally completed I reviewed Konoha's current state, and after studying the reports given to me I've decided that it was finally time for me to travel to meet with the Raikage's brother. I plan on leaving next week"

The council remained silent out of surprise by the suddenness of this announcement, Shikaku was the first to recover from this shock, and he had been expecting this expecting this for quite some time now.

"I'm guessing there's no changing your mind. But considering how you are our Hokage, we need assurance that you will be safe, that's why I recommend you bring your own small bodyguard force" suggested Shikaku.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Way ahead of you there Shikaku-san, I've already searched through the personal files in search of a bodyguard squad for me. I've decided to take three bodyguards and a medic with me in my journey. I've already contacted the Raikage about this and he allowed me to bring my own set of bodyguards, he's also already sent a messenger from his own village to guide me to where I will meet Killer Bee" he explained.

"Could you please tell us who you plan on bringing with you Hokage-sama?" Shikaku asked.

"Of course, I plan on bringing Might Guy as my main bodyguard. I considered bringing Kakashi-sensei for this trip but with him being the ANBU Commander, he has more important things to attend to. But Guy is more than a worthy substitute for my sensei. I also planned on bringing Shikamaru along as my secondary bodyguard but he is probably better suited to help out with the strategy and tactics for the upcoming war. In his stead I chose Aoba Yamashiro as my second bodyguard"

Shikaku slowly nodded his head in understanding, "Excellent choices Hokage-sama, is there anyone else?" he questioned.

"Yes, I also chose to bring Yamato-taichou along. His work here with the reconstruction effort is complete, and I believe he could play a vital role in my training with Killer Bee. His Mokuton has the ability to restrain my Bijuu and that will likely come in handy for this particular training trip, and if you add that with his abilities in combat, then he could serve as an invaluable bodyguard for me and my squad"

"Understandable, now how about that medic you spoke of?"

"Of course I chose a medic who I could trust and rely on, and there was no one more suited to that role than Sakura Haruno. I trust her with my life and her skills speak for themselves. She is more than suited for this role, and she could also hold her own in a fight. All in all that rounds out my team, my bodyguard squad will have Guy, Aoba and Yamato, while Sakura serves as our medic"

"Very well Hokage-sama, I for one am confident in your choices and selections, and I'm sure the council has no problem in your decision" said Shikaku.

Naruto bowed respectfully to the Nara Clan Head, "Thank you Shikaku-san, while I'm gone Tsunade will return to her post as the Godaime Hokage to serve in my absence. During my training trip, please also keep me updated on the news concerning the war, I need to be informed and prepared if I am to lead our side to victory" he remarked.

Tsuande sat silently by her seat only choosing to listen and nod, they had this talk a long time ago and she had no problem returning to her old position. She would have preferred to just enjoy her retirement but with the war against the Akatsuki looming over she had no time to relax, she had to be at her best until Naruto returned.

Naruto scanned the room and he noticed that everyone seemed to agree and understand his decision, and upon seeing this he decided there was no more point in holding this meeting.

"With all of this concluded, the council meeting is dismissed"

* * *

 **Hokage's Office**

Naruto sat behind his desk contemplating the future, he was in such deep thought that he failed to notice the door to his office open; a voice then suddenly spoke up.

"So you're leaving then, good riddance to you" said the voice.

Naruto looked up towards the entrance of his office and there he found his trusty advisor leaning against the door, "Well nice to see you too Shikamaru. How's married life been treating you?" he asked with a cheeky grin on his face.

Shikamaru sighed in frustration, "I really hate you sometimes Naruto, I can't believe you arranged me to get married, and to Temari of all people. I grew up seeing my dad being bossed around by my troublesome mother; my dad was the very definition of whipped. Since my childhood I decided that that was never ever happening to me. But you just had to come in and ruin that for me, Temari is just as bossy as my own mother" he replied in a lazy tone.

Naruto chuckled seeing his friend's state of distress, "Oh stop being such a whiner Shikamaru, trust me when I say this, you'll thank me for that one day"

The lazy Nara stared at the Hokage with a deadpan expression, "Somehow I really doubt that"

"By the time I return from my trip I expect to see nieces and nephews"

Shikamaru's eyes widened in both fear and shock, "Oh Kami….I am nowhere near ready for that yet….and I won't be for probably the rest of my life" he said.

Naruto laughed softly at this but after a while silence began to engulf the room, Shikamaru then walked over to Naruto's side and took out a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. He grabbed one for him and offered another to Naruto, "You want one?" he asked.

The blonde saw no harm in it and he grabbed a cigarette from the pack, Shikamaru then lighted both his and Naruto's cigarettes. The two smoked silently, as this continued Naruto even grabbed a few drinks of sake from underneath the desk. The two smoked and drank in silence, despite their earlier banter with one another the two were close friends.

They had been close since the academy but since the two had begun working together as Hokage and advisor, their bond grew stronger in time. Naruto considered Shikamaru as one of his true best friends alongside Gaara, they were the two Naruto trusted most. A long time ago Sasuke was Naruto's one true best friend, but their bond had been severed and broken a long time ago.

Shikamaru also saw Naruto this way, he considered Choji a great friend along with Kiba, Shino and the rest of the guys. But he and Naruto had a strange bond, they were polar opposites but they just seemed to connect with one another, and they looked out for each other. They were true friends.

* * *

 **A Few Days Later**

Naruto once again sat just behind his desk, his two advisors stood by his side, Shikamaru to the right and Tsunade to the left. Guy, Aoba, Yamato and Sakura stood just in front of them, each of them standing straight and tall while in the presence of the Hokage.

"I called you all here to inform you of your mission, you four are assigned to serve as my bodyguard group for my training trip with the Raikage's brother. I've only revealed the location of our destination to a few people, so we must keep it a secret. We wouldn't want this information heading to the wrong hands" he said.

"Hai Hokage-sama" the four said in unison.

"I honestly don't know how long this training trip will last, it may go for a month or it could go for a year, I simply don't have the answer. But during that span of time you will all have to be at your best, each of you serve a major role for this trip thus the reason I chose all of you. You are all unique and your skills are suited towards this type of mission. I chose you Guy due to your prowess in combat; I want you to be my main bodyguard in this trip"

The taijutsu expert beamed with pride and gusto as he saluted the young Hokage, "You won't regret this decision Hokage-sama, the flames of youth will guide us in this journey" he said in an overly enthusiastic tone.

Naruto sighed, 'I hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass' he silently thought to himself.

He then turned to Yamato, "Taichou now that the reconstruction is complete I've chosen you to assist me as my secondary bodyguard. Your Mokuton will be needed in this trip, during this trip it is likely that I may lose control from time to time, and so when that happens I need you to be there to restrain my violent tendencies" he explained.

Yamato nodded in understanding, "Of course Hokage-sama, I am more than happy to accompany you on this trip" he said.

"As for you Aoba, my reports claim that you are a skilled fighter, and your fellow Jonin endorsed you as a more than capable bodyguard, and so with that in mind I chose you to be my third bodyguard for this trip"

"Thank you for the kind words Hokage-sama, I won't let you down"

Naruto finally turned to Sakura, the two of them retained their serious and stern expressions. At the moment they had to act as consummate professionals, "And finally you Sakura-chan. You will serve as the medic for this group, I not only chose you because of your skills as a medic, but also due to your strength and ability in combat situations. I also need someone I trust to be my medic, and there is no one I trust more than you" he explained.

Sakura smiled upon hearing those words, "Thank you for placing that trust on me Hokage-sama, I will do my best to make sure that no harm comes your way" she said.

Naruto nodded with a small smile on his face, "You four must prepare for the trip soon, and we will leave the village in four days, make most of these last four days, like I previously said I have no idea how long this trip will take so make sure to pack accordingly. When we depart the village, we will have to head over to harbour a few miles away from the village. Once there we will meet up with a few of the Raikage's men and they will lead us to our destination. Are we clear?"

The four nodded in understanding, "Hai Hokage-sama" they replied.

"Good, you're all dismissed"

* * *

 **Village Gates**

Naruto stood just inside the village gates with his four bodyguards surrounding him. The four guards formed a diamond shaped formation with Naruto in the middle of the diamond, Sakura stayed in the back, Guy led the formation, and both Aoba and Yamato stayed by the sides.

A large crowd was gathered by the gates, the crowd was being contained by the ANBU but the civilians of Konoha wanted to see their beloved Hokage off. Naruto was grateful for this send-off; this showed him just how much he meant to the people of Konoha. He walked slowly past the gates waving and smiling at the cheering crowds.

Just outside the gate stood Tsunade, she stood there donning her own Hokage hat and robe. Just beside her were none other than Kakashi and Shikamaru. The three had been waiting for the group to arrive; they each wanted to give them their own personal goodbye.

Naturally Shikamaru and Naruto only exchanged firm handshakes, they already had their heartfelt moment a few days ago, Kakashi on the other congratulated and wished both his students good luck and safe travels. He told them to be safe in their journey and to come back stronger and better than ever before. Finally there was Tsunade, she was holding her emotions very well but deep inside she was like dam waiting to burst. She wrapped both Naruto and Sakura into a tight hug, she saw those two as her very own children and she was proud to see them head off into such a noble journey. Naruto was the key for the war, and this had to be done, and at least Sakura was there to support him every step of the way.

With all the goodbyes concluded Naruto stared at the road just ahead of them, he wouldn't be able to see Konoha for a long time but he knew that he had to take this journey. A new chapter was approaching and this was the chapter of the Rokudaime Hokage.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Well finally I finished Chapter 17, took a while but here it is. Once again sorry for not only the delay but for the cancellation of God of Shinobi, I plan on rewriting that story sometime soon. Anyway thanks to everyone who supports my stories and continues to read them and for those new here please favourite/follow the story, and also please leave comments. I love the comments and I read each and every single one of them. So if you have any questions or suggestions for the story then please also leave a comment stating your question and/or suggestion, but if that's not your style then you could just pm me instead. I reply to everything. Anyway thanks everyone for the patience and understanding, I hope you guys liked this chapter because things are finally going to start heating up for the story.


	18. The Long Journey Ahead

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey everyone long time no see, sorry about the delay but I'm glad to be back with a brand new chapter for my stories. The delay has mostly been due to a lack of time and inspiration but thankfully a bit of both came back and here I am with a new chapter for you guys. To be honest though this is more of a filler chapter just like the filler season in the Naruto anime, this is mostly based on that particular season when Naruto and his team are headed to the island to meet Killer Bee. But don't worry the chapter after this will continue the real action and story, with the training commencing and the war beginning so the exciting bits are close.**

 **Anyway I mainly decided to update this story once more seeing as how its nearly a year old, and I'd just like to thank everyone for continuing to support my stories particularly this one despite the flaws, shortcomings, misspellings, grammar errors, and most of all inconsistencies in the updates. Just a massive thank you to all you guys it means a lot to me the continual support. I knows it's been a while since I updated but rest assured I do plan on finishing this story along with my others, whether I'll continue to write more after this chapter and the God of Shinobi story, I don't know but I'll try. But what I can say is that I do plan on finishing what I started.**

 **With all that out of the way please continue to support the story by hitting the favourite/follow button; please continue the support so we could reach 1000 favourites….and when that does happen I'll give you guys the fan service chapter. Also if you guys have any constructive criticism, advice or suggestions for any of my stories feel free to pm me or leave a review, I love reading over the reviews and I'll do my best to answer everyone's questions. Anyway thanks again for everything guys I appreciate the support, I hope you guys enjoy my latest chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The Long Journey Ahead**

Naruto and his team set off into the sea, they rode on a medium sized boat they acquired from a small fishing village within the Land of Fire. The boat was a gift from the village; it was for getting rid of the large marlin summon roaming the nearby seas a remnant of the old Third Shinobi World War.

Initially Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, Guy and Aoba headed here to meet with Team Samui and once both teams were united they decided to head over to begin their journey. Unfortunately for them though it wasn't that simple, there was one massive roadblock stopping them from beginning their journey, and that roadblock was the gigantic marlin in the sea.

Upon learning of the marlin summon, the original purpose of the mission was to help the local fisherman Yusuke avenge his father's death by capturing the marlin, but soon after having just captured the beast itself Naruto noticed a large Fuma Shuriken sticking out of the beast's head. Feeling sorry for the beast, Naruto pulled out the shuriken and he convinced Yusuke to let the marlin go, promising that he wasn't going to harm them anymore.

Yusuke begrudgingly agreed and he let it go free, the marlin was thankful and he swam away from the village. After this whole event, as the Hokage Naruto decided to station a few ninjas in the area to protect the people of this village, as of now this small fishing village was under the direct protection of Konoha. This wasn't only a generous gesture from the Hokage, this also served to add yet another trading partner for Konoha, in this way both Konoha and this fishing village can thrive together equally.

The people of the small fishing village were grateful to the Hokage and his group of ninjas; they decided to gift the group with a boat to help them with their journey, and so with a proper sized boat now in their possession, the group consisting of Naruto, Sakura, Guy, Yamato, Aoba, Samui, Karui and Omoi set out into sea in search of Killer Bee.

The first few days of the journey proved to be quite eventful for the group, due to seasickness the group of ninjas had to stop by a nearby island, and on that island the group managed to bump into Choji, Ino and Kiba. The group were out there picking medicinal herbs under the orders of the interim Hokage Tsunade, and of course with Naruto being there he decided to give his friends a helping hand with the task while he and his group recovered from their seasickness, it was like killing two birds with one stone. Team Samui on the other hand was less interested in helping the Konoha ninjas; instead they decided to make use of their own time gathering food for the rest of their journey.

But while in this island they of course ran into trouble, the trouble being in the form of the Benisu Island ninjas. Those ninjas made their task much more difficult by collecting and hoarding the exact same herbs as the Konoha ninjas. In the end though those same ninjas had a change of heart and gave the herbs to the Konoha ninjas instead, of course it helped that Naruto saved their lives from a monster roaming the island. Ino, Kiba and Choji then wished Naruto and his group good luck for the training, as the two groups went their separate ways.

Once back at sea, the adventures for Naruto and his group only continued, all in all Naruto just had a knack for attracting trouble. At this time the group ran into what seemed to be a cursed ghost ship, they were attacked by a group of savage pirates, and had to rescue Guy from a large bird that swooped down and kidnapped him.

The group was forced to track down and follow the large bird and when they did they were led to a volcanic island, upon landing in the island the group split up into two. Naruto and Sakura chased went off in search of Guy with the help of Team Samui, while Yamato and Aoba tracked down a mysterious girl who was watching them. Eventually both parties found what they were looking for.

Naruto and Sakura managed to find Guy in the giant bird's nest babysitting the other giant eggs and chicks after running into various enlarged creatures within the island, it wasn't just giant birds, and there were also giant rats, pigs, dogs and many other gigantic creatures. Yamato and Aoba on the other hand continued to follow the mysterious girl but they failed to find her, instead they were led to a dodgy and shady looking laboratory.

In the lab they found various research notes explaining the large creatures across the island, it turns out these creatures were being bred for battle purposes; they were used to substitute for the conventional summons used in battle. After this major discovery Yamato and Aoba continued further down the lab and there they found a large demonic looking creature asleep in the research lab within the volcano. Aoba uses a mind reading technique and there he found out that the creature before them was too powerful to be kept in captive, it had devoured most of the animals in the island along with the researchers working in the area.

After seeing this Yamato used a few clones to call Naruto, and soon after Naruto arrived with Sakura, Guy and Team Samui. The six of them were brought up to speed by the two and they were shocked to learn what was going on in this island, and with this in mind Naruto decided they had to do something to stop this.

Naruto tells everyone to back away he could feel the power of the demonic creature and he knew right away this was a job for him alone as Hokage, of course the others objected stating that their job was to protect him but Naruto was rarely ever serious and this was one of those moments. He was certain that he others wouldn't stand a chance against the beast, only Naruto had a chance.

The others knew that their efforts of dissuading Naruto were futile; once the blonde Hokage set his mind to something it was practically impossible to stop him. Before heading out to fight the monster of course, Sakura leaned in and gave Naruto a kiss for good luck, while making him promise to come back alive.

Naruto then headed to face the sleeping creature, as he drew closer the beast managed to smell the blonde's approaching scent thus waking him up. The battle between the two began, and it lasted for nearly an hour. Naruto was forced to go all out against the creature even having to resort to using his Sage Mode; this was by far one of Naruto's most difficult battles.

In the end though Naruto prevailed and defeated the Ultimate Summoning Beast. All were in awe of the epic battle that had happened right before their very eyes, the Konoha ninjas watched with pride and confidence as their Hokage battled the beast, just seeing the rapid growth and improvement Naruto has made over the past few months was enough to solidify their beliefs in the Allied Shinobi Forces and in their Hokage. Their confidence was solidified knowing that this was only the beginning, after Naruto's training with Killer Bee he was going to grow even more in strength and power.

Team Samui on the other hand were frightened to see the level of power Naruto had, he was roughly their age if not even a bit younger and he was already this powerful. The rumours had to be true about him truly defeating Pein all by himself, suddenly Karui was regretting her initial meeting with the Hokage even more, and after seeing him fight the Ultimate Summoning Beast it was clear he could defeat her and her team without even breaking a single sweat.

Once the beast was defeated the mysterious girl made an appearance once more, this time the group had a closer look at the girl and they could see that she was quite a beautiful young lady, she was tall, slim, she had crimson hair and she went by the name Honoka. She explained to them the research and experiments they conducted in this lab, and she explained just how powerful the beast was. They couldn't seal or cage it; in the end the beast ran rampant and murdered the researchers around the island, everyone including her.

The group was shocked to learn that Honoka was indeed a restless spirit but with the beast now slain her soul was now able to move on. Once Honoka's spirit vanished and moved on, the group decided it was time for them to do the same and so they once again set sail.

It had been a strange few days so far and it only solidified the theory that nothing was ever just normal or standard when you were with Naruto. The blonde Hokage just attracted trouble and with that added with his constant willingness to help those around him, him and his team are always dragged into all sorts of misadventures.

* * *

 **A Few Days Later**

Since fighting the Ultimate Summoning Beast the following days had been less eventful, at this very moment the ship decided to dock by a nearby village. The group all went their separate ways as they docked by the village's harbour, Team Samui headed off to explore and walk around the village. Aoba and Guy also left the ship to gather and buy some food and fresh water for the rest of their voyage. Sakura also went shopping but unlike the other two she went in search of medicinal supplies, Yamato meanwhile stayed to guard and repair the ship, with his Mokuton abilities he was able to fix the damages the ship collected throughout their journey thus far.

This left Naruto all by himself with nothing to do, and so with nothing else to do the blonde decided to walk around the rather large town and in his walk he was pleased to find a small ramen stand in the more central areas of the town. Of course with the Hokage's love for ramen he couldn't resist himself, he walked in and immediately ordered his food. Soon a whole our passed, Naruto left the ramen stand finally satisfied.

"Wow that ramen was good, but Ichiraku's is still the best" he said to himself. Before Naruto could walk back to the boat he suddenly heard a disturbance in the neighbourhood. He checked to see the source of this disturbance and there he found two ladies running away from what seemed to be a large puppet.

"Oh Kami it's you again, why don't you just give up already" yelled out a tall and well-built lady, the lady had short brown hair, and red lipstick across her lips. All in all she looked like a rather intimidating person due to her height, stature and serious expression. Beside the lady was a mysterious looking girl who was covered by a long white robe.

"This has nothing to do with you lady, you're just the bodyguard. I'm interested in the princess next to you" said the attacker.

Naruto's attention quickly turned to the puppet and there he saw a man sitting on top and controlling the large puppet. The man had long brown hair tied to a ponytail reaching down to the middle of his back, and he also wore a light pink shirt to go with his purple coat and glasses.

"Like hell I'd let you touch her" replied the bodyguard, "Lady Shizuka allow me to deal with him"

"No Tokiwa this is my own fight, I'll deal with him myself. Stand back" ordered the robed princess.

Naruto watched as the lady known as Tokiwa tried to persuade the robed princess not to fight, but all her efforts were for naught. Princess Shizuka walked over to face the man and his massive puppet; she then threw away her robe revealing a kunoichi battle outfit.

"I won't let you get away for this Kokuyo" warned the princess.

Kokuyo grinned maliciously as his eyes roamed the princess' battle attire, "You look beautiful Shizuka, fitting for my future wife of course" he replied arrogantly.

Shizuka didn't even flinch from the man's crude remark; instead she quickly applied chakra to her legs and jumped up into the air catching the man by surprise. While up in the air she delivered a powerful kick to the puppet; thus destroying the puppet's mechanical engine.

" **Nadeshiko-Ryū Kōha Senkaigiri"** she yelled.

This caused the mechanical puppet to explode and Kokuyo was forced to use his eject button. He was then sent back flying for miles.

Naruto watched in awe as the princess walked away, "Wow that lady was some shinobi, not bad if I say so myself" he remarked before walking away.

"Sir please wait" a voice called out, Naruto turned back to see that Tokiwa was approaching him.

"Are you talking to me?" Naruto asked.

Tokiwa nodded, "Yes sir, from your hitai-ate I could tell that you're a shinobi from the leaf"

Naruto grinned as he pointed to his headband, "Oh this yeah I'm a Konoha shinobi alright" he replied.

"Well in that case sir could I please ask you about the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya? Do you know if anyone was his student?" she asked.

Naruto was taken aback he hadn't expected to be questioned about this.

* * *

 **With Naruto and Tokiwa**

Naruto and Tokiwa sat by a bench eating dango, Tokiwa was surprised by her luck. She finally managed to find Jiraiya's student after all these years of searching.

"So that's my story, yeah Jiraiya was my teacher"

"Amazing, I can't believe I finally found you"

Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Me? Why were you guys looking for me?" he asked.

"Didn't Jiraiya-sama tell you?" asked Tokiwa

"Tell me what?"

"So you really don't know?" she asked to which Naruto nodded, "Well then I guess I can explain"

"Your sensei Jiraiya had a connection with my village that began years ago, it all started when he attempted to infiltrate my village" she said.

"Wait! Why would he try and attempt your village? What kind of village is this?" Naruto interrupted and asked.

Tokiwa turned to Naruto with a serious expression, "Infiltrating our village is a heinous crime especially if you're a man. You see my village is an all-female village" she replied.

Naruto's expression deadpanned as a look of disappointment flashed across his face, 'Yeah that sounds like something he'd do alright, the stupid old pervert' he thought to himself.

"While fleeing away from the village he encountered our village's former leader, she led Nadeshiko village for years and she is widely considered to be our village's most powerful kunoichi of all time. She also happens to be the mentor of our current leader, the lady you saw a while ago, Shizuka. Jiraiya was able to flee from her but soon she managed to find him the very next morning by the riverbed, he was recovering from the past night" she explained as Naruto listened intently.

"Once there she confronted Jiraiya-sama, she then challenged Jiraiya-sama to a duel and asked to marry him" she said.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, he nearly even choked on the dango he was eating. He had to stand up and spit it out as it was lodged stuck in his throat, after a few seconds he was thankful to have gotten that piece of dango unstuck from his throat.

He could imagine it now, the Rokudaime Hokage dying by choking on a piece of dango there was nothing more embarrassing than that, except maybe the Hokage choking and dying from a pretzel **(Disgaea reference for those who don't know. The Disgaea games are awesome)**

Naruto soon collected himself and remembered Tokiwa's story, "She asked him to marry her? What the hell?" he yelled in shock.

Tokiwa remained straight face despite Naruto's disbelieving tone and expression, "It is a tradition in our village, those who wish to become leaders in our village venture out to seek powerful men and challenge them, and if those men are triumphant they are brought back to the village to become our husbands. It's the law of our village that is until Jiraiya-sama fought our former leader. The match between the two was said to have been legendary, it lasted for three days but in the end the match was never truly decided. So they made a promise instead, their duel would be postponed and if their rematch never came to be then their students will seek each other out and finish the fight" she said.

Naruto's shoulders slumped as a scowl appeared on his face, "Gee thanks Ero-Sennin" he said sarcastically, "So you're saying that I have to duel with this Shizuka lady?" he asked.

Tokiwa nodded, "Very perceptive Naruto, yes you are tasked with fighting lady Shizuka with the reward being her hand in marriage" she explained.

Sweat began to cascade down Naruto's face, "Marriage?" he stuttered, he wasn't ready for that commitment yet but that wasn't what scared him. It was Sakura…if she found out about this he was a dead man.

"Listen lady this is all way too sudden for me, I can't get married I'm still a young guy" Naruto continued to make excuses hoping she'd just leave him alone, he'd rather not bring Sakura into this because if she heard about this there was going to be hell to pay.

"It's not sudden at all; this has been decided years ago"

"But this is the first time I'm hearing about it" Naruto yelled in panic, 'Holy shit I'm a dead man, Sakura-chan is going to kill me. This all your fault you stupid pervery' he thought to himself.

"Sorry Naruto this isn't my fault, a promise is a promise and I'd be in big trouble if you refuse"

"But I'd be killed if I agree, sorry lady let's just forget we ever had this conversation. See you around" he said before quickly running off.

Tokiwa watched as Naruto ran away, "Wait no" she yelled to no avail. She then clenched her fists, "You will duel, I know it" she told herself.

* * *

 **Later That Day**

Naruto headed to the hotel he and his group were staying at, they all paired up to share rooms. Yamato stayed with Guy, Aoba with Omoi, Samui with Karui, and of course Naruto with Sakura. Once Naruto entered his room he found Sakura sitting there reading a small medical book, the pinkette smiled as her boyfriend finally arrived.

"Hey Naruto how was your day?" she asked.

Naruto smiled nervously, "It was alright, nothing happened at all, yup not one thing" he replied with a panicked laugh.

Sakura raised an eyebrow and studied the boy, she could tell something was up but at the moment she was just too tired from gathering herbs and medicinal supplies, she decided to let him be just this once.

"Alright then Naruto whatever you say, dinner's cooking in the oven. It'll be ready soon" she said with a smile.

Naruto nodded and as soon as Sakura turned back to her book, Naruto sighed in relief.

'Oh Kami that was close' he thought to himself.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Naruto couldn't sleep tonight so he decided to have a midnight walk to clear his mind; thankfully for him Sakura was sound asleep in their room. He felt a bit guilty for lying to Sakura but he didn't want her to get dragged into this, that and he knew she was going to kill him if she did find the truth. While walking around the hotel, Naruto found Tokiwa camped outside the hotel.

His eyes widened in shock, 'Oh you've got to be kidding me' he thought.

Naruto jumped down to face the lady, "Look Tokiwa please leave me alone, and stop following me. I've got other things to deal with alright?" he said.

Tokiwa shook her head, "You can't escape me, and you are a prime candidate for a husband"

"I already said no, I know it's your tradition but it's not mine. I'm not interested and I'm not fighting and that's that"

"What? Please don't say such things. Lady Shizuka doesn't enjoy this either, she once loved a man named Sagiri, but he was deemed unworthy by the village. He was but a mere tradesman, and mysteriously one day Sagiri died. Shizuka has suspicions it was due to the orders of the village's elders and since that day she vowed to lock her heart away. Shizuka has now stopped feeling love; she only seeks out a man to challenge her that is her main purpose in life now. It is as if she is punishing herself for Sagiri's death. You are the only man who can possibly break her out of this, you're the only person I can turn to Naruto Uzumaki. End her self-punishment. I know this is a selfish request but I have no one else to turn to"

Naruto sighed he hadn't expected her story to be this depressing, "Look lady I'll think about it" he said before heading back to the hotel.

Tokiwa nodded and smiled softly, "That's all I can ask for" she replied softly.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

Naruto watched by a cliff as the ship sailed away without him, he sighed knowing this was a bad idea but he felt like the needed to help Shizuka and Tokiwa out.

"I left them with a shadow clone, this'll buy us some time" he explained, "Sakura-chan is so going to kill me" he whispered softly.

"Thank you once more Naruto" replied Tokiwa.

Naruto nodded, "I didn't come here to fight, I actually came here to talk" he said before turning to Shizuka, "Look I heard about what happened to you but this doesn't make it right"

Shizuka glared at Naruto, "You may not be ready to fight but I am" she said.

Naruto sighed knowing there was no getting through to her, they had to fight, "Very well then" he replied. The trio then walked around in search of a suitable area to fight, once there Tokiwa performed hand seals.

" **Doton: Tekkenrō"**

A massive arena then began to surround the trio with walls springing forth from the earth.

Shizuka then faced Naruto and threw away her robe once more to display her full battle attire, "Allow me to begin" she said as she ran towards Naruto.

" **Nadeshiko-Ryū Kōha Reppūken"** she yelled as wind chakra engulfed her right hand, she tried to stab Naruto with it but to no avail, Naruto dodged the attack quickly and jumped back to avoid the massive fissured forming in the ground around him.

" **Nadeshiko-Ryū Shinku Enbu"**

Naruto had barely any time to react as he was once again attacked but this time by a barrage of well thrown kunai. Luckily Naruto was able to anticipate and dodge all the kunai thrown at him, he evaded them with ease.

Shizuka was impressed as she watched Naruto effortlessly evade them , "I must say you're more powerful than you look, I didn't expect you to evade all my attacks but you've yet to even attempt a strike" she remarked.

"Yeah you're right" replied Naruto; he countered her projectiles with a quick jutsu.

" **Fūton: Daitoppa** " the wind from this attack collided with the kunai and it sent them back flying her way. She was then forced to dodge her own incoming attacks by jumping up into the air, but she hadn't expected Naruto to intercept her.

The young blonde jumped at her and he then delivered a powerful kick right to her stomach thus sending her flying down to the ground, Naruto however landed perfectly in front of her with his kunai directly pointed at her head.

Shizuka was loss for words she looked up to face Naruto only to see the cocky grin on the young blonde's face. She was in absolute disbelief, she didn't think she would be defeated so easily let alone by this young kid in front of her, she seriously misjudged this Naruto.

"Impossible I lost?" she muttered.

But before Naruto could reply something popped up from the ground and grabbed Shizuka, Naruto jumped back only to find a large purple puppet standing in where they just stood. Kokuyo stood far away controlling the puppet from a distance, Tokiwa saw this and scowled.

"What a cowardly attack, unhand her Kokuyo" she yelled.

Kokuyo scowled, "No way I finally have her. I'm never letting her go now" he replied.

Naruto's grin quickly disappeared as he watched the creepy man capture and bind Shizuka in these electrical puppet strings, he was shocking her repeatedly so that she would stop resisting.

"Hey let her go now, I'm only giving you one chance to back off" warned Naruto.

Kokuyo laughed at Naruto, "Oh I'm so scared, what are you going to do about it blondie? She's mine now" he replied.

Naruto closed both his eyes and crossed his arms "I'm going to count to three, don't say I didn't warn you. One" he said menacingly.

Kokuyo continued to laugh, "Oh this is rich" he yelled out in laughter.

"Two"

"Naruto please help her" said Tokiwa.

"Three"

Naruto opened his eyes and sighed, he pulled out a scroll from his vest. He opened it and there it revealed his haori. He had been storing it there to keep his identity as the Rokudaime Hokage a secret from other people, news of him has yet to reach certain areas such as this one.

Only the major nations and the villages close to the Hidden Villages themselves know of the new Rokudaime Hokage. Tokiwa's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the haori; she had heard rumours of a new Hokage but she dismissed them thinking they were just that, rumours.

Kokuyo continued to laugh as Naruto put on his haori, "You the Hokage? Yeah sure whatever kid, and I'm the Raikage" he joked.

Naruto wasn't amused he squared up to the giant puppet; Kokuyo had enough of the arrogant kid he controlled his gigantic puppet and ordered it to destroy Naruto. The pupped lifted its fist and brought it down to the ground.

Tokiwa was brought out of her state of shock as she watched Naruto just stand there, "Move away, you'll get crushed" she yelled.

Naruto didn't budge, he brought out his palm and he stopped the puppet's punch without breaking a single sweat. He then used his strength to push back the puppet's gigantic hand, the puppet as a whole was pushed back and left unbalanced.

Naruto then jumped into the air and he gathered wind chakra onto his right hand, " **Fūton: Rasenshuriken** " he yelled as he threw the jutsu at the puppet. The jutsu connected with the puppet and it blew it away past through the arena's walls, it was then destroyed piece by piece from the jutsu's power causing an explosion not only from the puppet but a wind explosion from the jutsu as well.

Both Tokiwa and Kokuyo watched as the jutsu completely destroyed the puppet, while both were distracted Naruto quickly appeared in front of Kokuyo and he used his kunai to slice through the man's puppet strings, the ones binding Shizuka. Before Shizuka could land into the ground Naruto used a shadow clone to catch her, while the original Naruto delivered a **Rasengan** directly into the man's stomach. Kokuyo was sent flying by the attack.

Naruto's clone carried Shizuka back to Tokiwa before disappearing, the original Naruto then jumped to join the two ladies. Tokiwa kneeled down in apology, "I'm so sorry Naruto-sama, I hadn't expected Jiraiya-sama's pupil to already be the Hokage, please forgive me" she said.

The blonde shook his head, "There's nothing to forgive Tokiwa, you were just doing what you thought was right" he replied.

Tokiwa nodded, "Thank you Naruto-sama"

Soon Shizuka woke up from her state of unconsciousness and there she found Naruto standing beside her with Tokiwa, a scowl then appeared on her face.

"Why didn't you finish me off when you still had the chance? Why'd you save me" she asked.

"I've had enough of this, don't be ridiculous. Would you be satisfied if I ended your life? I heard about this Sagiri guy, do you think he'd be happy to see you like this?"

Shizuka was taken aback her eyes widened in shock, she thought about it and Naruto was right. She looked down in shame, "You're right….he wouldn't have wanted to see me act this way" she replied.

Naruto smiled and offered the girl a hand to help her stand; she took it but before she could fully stand a loud menacing voice was heard.

"NARUTOOOOO"

The blonde's eyes widened and his body quivered and shook, he unknowingly let go of Shizuka's hand causing her to fall back onto her behind. He knew that voice; there was only one person with that voice.

'So this is how I die' he thought to himself.

He looked upwards into the sky and there he found Sakura landing with an angered expression on her face, she reached the ground and delivered a powerful punch to Naruto.

"So this is where you've been you baka, you tried fooling us with a shadow clone. Did you think we wouldn't see past through it? Not only that but now here I find you surrounded by two other ladies, need I remind you that you're taken, I am your girlfriend after all" she yelled in anger.

Naruto gulped as he faced her, the pain from Sakura's punch was unbelievable but he knew that if he didn't diffuse the bomb quicker then there was going to be more of this, and this scenario probably wasn't the best to be in for when she was mad.

"Look Sakura I can explain, I was just helping these two out. They had a problem and I was the only one who could help them" he frantically explained. Sakura glared at Naruto before eyeing Tokiwa and Shizuka.

"Is that true?" she asked.

Tokiwa nodded, "Yes Naruto-sama here has been a great help for me and my village. We are grateful for his help" she replied.

Sakura slowly nodded but she continued to glare at the two, Naruto however breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So what did they need help with?" and just like that Naruto's worry increased twofold.

Shizuka stood up to face Sakura and answer her question, "I was in search of a suitable husband" she replied with a smile.

Sakura clenched her fist and she grit her teeth, "WHAT?" she yelled out. Naruto gulped knowing that he was a dead man, she then turned to Shizuka; "Bitch keep your hands off my man" she screamed.

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later**

Naruto stood by the harbour alongside Sakura, the blonde had multiple bruises and bumps on his face and head after the misunderstanding. Sakura lost her cool and beat up Naruto, but before she could fight Shizuka and Tokiwa as well they managed to explain everything to her before things could further escalate. The two admitted that Sakura frightened them, and Shizuka was thankful that Naruto didn't go through with the marriage; if he did she knew that Sakura was going to hunt them down.

Before finally heading off back to sea, Naruto met with Shizuka to talk about a possible agreement or alliance between the two, Shizuka was of course surprised to learn of Naruto being the Hokage but that only impressed her even more, at least now she knows that she lost to the Hokage, no shame in that. But what was even more terrifying was her learning that Naruto's girlfriend was actually the student of yet another Sannin, the Godaime Hokage Tsunade Senju.

With Naruto as the Hokage, and Shizuka as the up and coming leader of the Nadeshiko Village, Naruto explained the current state of the war to her and she asked for her to help the Allied Shinobi Forces for the upcoming world war. It took some time but she agreed to help with the effort, after all she couldn't allow the Akatsuki to win. With that Naruto brokered yet another alliance for not only Konoha but for the Allied Shinobi Forces, they were now in a formal alliance with the kunoichi of Nadeshiko Village.

Other than that Naruto also made sure to send word to Tsuande about the island containing the large experimented summons. Naruto thought that the remote island could be used as a research base for the upcoming war. All in all the misadventures in their journey were proving to be quite advantageous for Konoha and the Allied Shinobi Forces.

* * *

 **Two Weeks Later**

After weeks of silence Naruto's boat landed and docked by a nearby village once more to restock. The group was getting closer and closer to the Land of Lightning, at the moment they were restocking at a small isolated island within the Land of Water.

Naruto was of course once again eating ramen by the nearby ramen stand but this time with Sakura, the others were off gathering items and resources save for Guy, he was recovering from seasickness.

While eating in the ramen stand the two began to hear screams from the local villagers, Naruto dropped his utensils and exited the stand alongside Sakura.

"Oh what is it now?" Sakura asked, every time they dock something always seems to happen and this time is no different apparently.

The followed the loud ruckus and they soon found a small battle brewing, on one side was a group of ten Kiri ninjas, on the other side were three of the ninjas Naruto recognized from the Summit. Two of them were the Tsuchikage's bodyguards, Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, and the other was one of the Mizukage's bodyguards, Chojuro.

"What is going on here?" Naruto asked; all heads turned to him and Sakura. The Kiri ninjas only stared and glared at the young blonde, the trio on the other hand stared in disbelief at Naruto.

"Hokage-sama what are you doing here?" asked Chojuro.

Before Naruto could reply the group of Kiri ninjas threw down a smoke bomb and vanished, "What happened was that those Kiri guys attacked us out of nowhere, they even wounded my partner here Akatsuchi" yelled Kurotsuchi.

Naruto nodded, "Sakura would you please?" he asked.

The pinkette nodded, "On it don't worry" she replied

Chojuro then walked over to the Hokage and bowed, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama those ninjas weren't acting on behalf of our Mizukage, they went rogue" he explained.

"Naruto this guy needs to be placed in a room" Sakura yelled.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "We'll help Akatsuchi out first, then you can explain the rest" he said.

* * *

 **Private Room**

Akatsuchi was brought to a nearby clinic and there Sakura healed the wounds left by the rogue group of Kiri ninjas, once the Iwa ninja was back into a stable condition she returned to join Naruto, Kurotsuchi and Chojuro.

"Alright Chojuro explain! Why did they attack?" asked Naruto

Chojuro sighed, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama the man leading that group was a man named Ganryū he was a Jonin of Kiri and he is one of the few people opposed to the idea of the Allied Shinobi Forces. You see he has a deep resentment for Iwagakure due to the events from the past, namely the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass. Since then he loathed Iwagakure and their ninjas" he explained.

"What's the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass?" asked Naruto.

"Back in the day Ganryū was tasked with a mission alongside two other Kiri Jonin to retrieve a highly important document, they were known as Suiren and Junsai. The mission's objectives was to retrieve a document taken by Kumogakure, and they were being helped by Iwagakure ninjas. However once the document was retrieved the Iwa ninjas betrayed them under orders of the Tsuchikage, they wanted the document for themselves. In the end Suiren and Junsai gave their lives so that Ganryū could escape with his life and with the document. Since then Ganryū has felt a burning hatred for the Iwa ninjas"

Kurotsuchi grit her teeth, "So he's obviously out to kill me and Akatsuchi, well I won't let that happen. I'm going to kill him first" she remarked.

Before she could stand up and search for the man, Naruto stopped her, "I will not allow it. I'll handle this myself" he said.

Kurotsuchi wanted to argue but she knew that he far outranked her as the Hokage, and after seeing his battles with Sasuke and Danzo in the Five Kage Summit she knew that she was no match for him.

"Hokage-sama are you sure? Please I can handle this, this is after all Kiri's problem" said Chojuro.

Naruto shook his head, "Nonsense were in an alliance now and Kiri's problems are now my problems as well. If it pleases you two both of you can follow me, but leave Ganryū to me" he ordered.

The two Jonin begrudgingly nodded their heads, Sakura on the other hand wasn't pleased with being left out, "And what about me?" she asked.

"And what do you want pinkie?" asked Kurotsuchi.

Sakura grit her teeth and glared at the Iwa ninja, "What was that?" she asked menacingly.

"You're just a Chunin pinkie, me and the shark freak here are Jonin, let alone Kage's bodyguards, and we have the Hokage here. I'm sure we can handle ourselves"

Sakura clenched her fists and Naruto sighed, seeing the two bicker Naruto could tell the two were probably going to be at each other's throat. He had only met Kurotsuchi a few times but from what he could tell she was quite the outspoken individual.

"Kurotsuchi enough, Sakura can come along and provide medical backup for us just in case" he said.

Sakura smirked as she stared at the scowling Iwa ninja.

"Alright we'll head out in a while"

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later**

The group headed out together, they left Akatsuchi alone to recuperate from the wounds left by Ganryū. Naruto used his sensory abilities to track down Ganryū and there he could tell he based himself within the forest along with his other fellow rogue Kiri ninjas.

Soon they encountered them within the middle of the forest, Ganryū stared them down especially Kurotsuchi, he wanted nothing more but to kill the Iwa ninja, and frankly the feeling was mutual.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I just came here to talk" replied Naruto, "Just hear me out there's no need to fight"

Ganryū glared at the young blonde but he allowed him to continue, he held out his arm to stop his men from possibly attacking the group, "And why would we talk to you when we could just kill you right here right now?" he asked.

Naruto grinned, "Your group may consist of Kiri Jonins, but we have two kage bodyguards here, the Godaime's student, and the Hokage. I doubt you'll stand a chance" he replied

Ganryū scowled, he did have a point despite having more in terms of numbers, in terms of quality and power the other group far surpassed them considering the blonde was also the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

Kurotsuchi turned to the pinkette only to see a cocky smirk on her face, 'Hmm the Godaime's apprentice huh, maybe I misjudged you pinke' she thought to herself.

"Alright you wanted to talk well here's your chance"

"There is a bigger problem here Ganryū than your petty vengeance, I know what happened must hurt but that was all in the past and today is a new day. We must unite as one to fight the Akatsuki, we cannot fight amongst each other" he said.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that, those Iwa bastards killed my team and for what? Just a stupid document" he yelled, before Naruto could continue Chojuro stepped in and approached Ganryū.

"I have something here for you Ganryū, something that may change your mind"

"What are you doing Chojuro, step back" warned Ganryū.

Chojuro grabbed something from his pocket and he walked over to Ganryū, he handed it to the man who took it from him. The Kiri Jonin then began to open the small box given to him by Chojuro, and he was incredibly surprised by the contents of the small box.

There in front of him was a letter and a small bangle from one of his old teammates, it was Suiren's bangle. Tears began to cascade down the man's face, and also within the box was a letter, it was a formal apology from the Tsuchikage himself about their errors from the past.

"An apology from the Tsuchikage?" he asked in disbelief.

Chojuro nodded, "Both the nations of Iwa and Kiri have put this past us and we gather together to fight a common foe, the Akatsuki. Why don't you move on as well?" he asked.

Kurotsuchi watched with widened eyes, 'That stubborn old fart apologized? Impossible!' she thought to herself.

Ganryū fell down to his knees, "So will you surrender?" asked Chojuro.

The man nodded as tears fell down his face, his men stood by him ready to surrender as well. No use in continuing this protest without their leader.

"I surrender"

Chojuro smiled and handcuffed the man, "So what's going to happen to him now?" asked Naruto.

"He won't be executed or anything, we'll just send him and his men back to Kiri and we'll assess if he's fit and willing to fight in the upcoming war" he explained.

Naruto nodded, "Very well then I'm glad everything's settled, especially the Iwa and Kiri grudge match. Me and my men better head off soon as well, were quite close to the Land of Lightning if I'm not mistaken" he said.

Kurotsuchi nodded, "Yeah you're not that far off, maybe a two to three days more of travel then you'll be good, once Akatsuchi is healed were going to head off as well" she replied.

"Same for me and my men, we'll board Ganryū and his soldiers to the ship then we'll probably head out first thing in the morning tomorrow. There are a lot of preparations needed for the upcoming war after all" Chojuro said.

* * *

 **The Following Day**

Naruto and his group were once again sailing at sea, the Land of Lightning was quite close now and Naruto's training was fast approaching, he was both excited and nervous. This was a major step, this could be what wins them the war, and if he failed the consequences could be dire.

He couldn't fail, not now. He knew the livelihood of practically everyone rested on his shoulders, and one wrong move could lead to countless deaths. But despite these thoughts lingering and plaguing his mind Naruto knew that he had someone who could support him along the way.

There were going to be ups and downs from this point forth, but Sakura was there to support him, through thick and thin he knew he could turn to her for anything.

Naruto stared out onto the sea, he breathed in the salty air. He wanted to preserve this not only for him and his friends, but for the next generation. A true world, not a fake dream world created by a mad man.

Sakura approached the young man and tapped him in the shoulder breaking him from his thoughts, "You alright Naruto? You have that faraway look on you" she said.

Naruto smiled softly, "I am now" he replied.

She chuckled and lightly punched him in the arm, "Quite the charmer I see" she answered back.

Naruto shrugged, "Well I try my best" he said.

"Well in that case I just wanted to say dinner's ready, I made your favourite. Ramen" she said before walking back inside the ship.

Naruto watched her and smiled.

"Yeah I definitely can't lose"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Nadeshiko-Ryū Kōha Reppūken - Nadeshiko-Style Hardliner Gale Fist

Nadeshiko-Ryū Shinku Enbu - Nadeshiko-Style Deep Crimson Dance Performance

Nadeshiko-Ryū Kōha Senkaigiri - Nadeshiko-Style Hardliner Revolving Cut

Doton: Tekkenrō - Earth Release: Iron Fist Prison

Fūton: Daitoppa - Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Fūton: Rasenshuriken - Wind Release: Rasenshuriken

Rasengan - Spiralling Sphere

 **Author's Note**

Hey everyone here is the latest chapter I hope you guys enjoyed it. It has been a while and I'm sorry for the delay but I'm glad to be back with this chapter. Like I said I'm nearing the one year birthday of this story and I'd like to thank everyone for the support, honestly I probably still have around 12-18 chapters with this story so were roughly halfway there…..living on a prayer. But yeah thanks everyone I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please continue to show your support by hitting the favourite and follow buttons, and please leave reviews. Thanks everyone so much.


	19. Inner Demons

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hey everyone I have here the latest chapter and here we begin Naruto's training under Killer Bee. This is very much like canon but with a few changes here and there, honestly I tried to think of different ways to spice my story up a bit but mostly for this particular scene I had to stick to many of the canon's versions elements, after all this is the only way Naruto managed to learn to harness Kurama's powers and chakra.**

 **But yeah after this chapter and the following chapter, things then begin to really branch out again. It's just that in my plan sheet for the story, Chapter 19 just really have to stick really closely to the canon version, but don't worry it won't be wholly the same. I will implement a few changes to make things a bit different, but rest assured I do have something really big planned up for Chapter 20 and it'll definitely shake things up for my story. After that chapter my story takes a whole road of its own which will differ a lot from canon, one of my disappointments in the canon story was how this ultimate war to determine the fate of the world lasted for only like three days. I found that slightly disappointing and to be honest I thought it sucked, that's why in my story this war will span a few years to make things more realistic and badass.**

 **Anyway with this small rant out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy my latest chapter. I updated a few of my other stories as well so please check them out in my profile, I posted the latest chapter for the Yondaime's Legacy and for the Child of Prophecy so please give them a read as well. Thanks everyone for the continuous support and please favorite and follow this story and my other work, it would really appreciate it. Please also leave a review, I love all your reviews, and of course if you guys have any questions, suggestions or criticisms for any of my stories then please either leave a review or pm me, I love the criticism. Thanks again guys, you're all awesome.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Inner Demons**

The journey at sea had been rough and perilous but their journey was finally nearing its end, the boat which Naruto and his group sailed was getting close to this large spiky island. Samui stood by Naruto's side with Omoi and Karui behind her, she pointed out the massive island to Naruto to indicate that it was their destination.

"Hokage-sama that large island before us is Genbu" she said in a monotone voice.

"Genbu?" asked Naruto.

Samui nodded, "Hai Hokage-sama; that actually isn't really an island. It's actually a gigantic turtle" she explained.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, "What the hell, that's a turtle? How can a turtle be that huge?" he yelled out in disbelief.

Samui merely shrugged, "Nobody knows Hokage-sama, that turtle has been around for thousands of years as legend goes, it has resided in the Land of Lighting for years and since the founding of Kumogakure, Genbu has taken care of our village. For the longest time it has served as a special training ground for Kumo's ninjas, I guess you can consider it as Kumo's equivalent to Konoha's Forest of Death. That is why this is where Raikage-sama suggested you train, the island is constantly moving so Akatsuki will be unable to find you here" she explained.

But before Naruto could reply large tentacles burst up from the waters, "What the hell is that?" Naruto screamed in shock.

Samui fell to the ground as the water around the ship violently shook, "This is unfortunate, it seems were being attacked by the giant squid" she said in a strangely calm tone.

Soon the massive figure of the squid popped up from the water, all the people in the ship were shocked to see the massive beast but just before they could prepare themselves to fight the giant beast another massive creature appeared.

Naruto didn't know what it was exactly; it was a mixture of many things. The creature's lower half had eight tentacles similar to the squid, but its upper half was very strange. It had a muscular torso with two large arms; its head was also similar to that of a bison but with four horns instead of two.

"Okay what the hell is that? What the fuck is going on here? What's with Kumo and all these giant creatures?" Naruto yelled out frantically.

Samui smirked as she saw the other creature approach them and fight off the squid, "Don't worry Hokage-sama that is our sensei Killer Bee, he's the one in charge of teaching you" she replied.

The young blonde pointed at the strange creature, "That thing is going to teach me?" he asked.

Samui nodded, "Hai Hokage-sama that is our sensei's Jinchuuriki form, he can switch in and out of that form. He has mastered the ways of a Jinchuuriki and he achieved a friendship with the Hachibi. If you succeed in your training you may be able to do that with the Kyuubi" she answered.

Naruto turned back to watch the two large creatures fight, Killer Bee quickly managed to defeat the giant squid by simply punching its head with his fists, while his tentacles held the creature down. The Hokage was astounded by this; he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You tools are late, you fools" said the large creature. Soon that creature began to shrink in size and its form quickly changed into that of Killer Bee, much like the Raikage he was a tall and large dark skinned man with blonde hair. The man landed straight onto the boat while the squid retreated back into the deep waters.

"What the hell it turned to a man" exclaimed Yamato.

"Hey yo octopus guy that was awesome. Thanks for the help" Naruto yelled.

Immediately after that Killer Bee sat down onto the boat and pulled out his notebook, he began to jot down some notes. The Konoha ninjas were wondering what was going on with this guy, he was suddenly ignoring them and he was simply rhyming to himself.

"Hey what's with him?" Naruto asked Team Samui.

Karui sighed, "Yeah this is just one of his hobbies, Bee-sensei loves to rap and he writes his own rap most of the time. He likes to call it Enka Rap" she answered.

Naruto nodded in understanding but he still found the man quite strange, but then a booming voice came from the turtle.

"Ah you are all finally here" the voice said, the Konoha ninjas turned to find the source of the voice and there they found a spiky haired man.

"My name is Motoi and I'm in charge here, follow me and I'll show you where you'll be staying"

* * *

 **Later that Day**

Naruto and the rest of the Konoha ninjas were led through the dangerous forest on the turtle's island, it was littered with abnormally large creatures but none of them would even dare approach the group as long as Killer Bee accompanied them. After all Killer Bee managed to tame and befriend every single animal in the land. During this walk Motoi explained many things about Killer Bee to Naruto, he told him about the Hachibi and Bee's relationship to his Bijuu, and this only served to inspire Naruto to do the same as Bee did but with the Kyuubi.

Soon after nearly a one hour walk through the forest, they came upon a large home designed similar to that of the Hachibi. There were various rooms among the area, one of the main rooms was obviously reserved for Naruto seeing as how he was the Hokage, and of course he shared his room with his girlfriend Sakura.

Killer Bee also had his own personal room in the large house, and so did Motoi. These special rooms were placed in the upper floors of the home.

Meanwhile Guy, Aoba, Yamato and the members of Team Samui all had to pair off into twos for the remaining rooms in the ground floor. Naturally with Samui and Karui being the only kunoichi among the six, they decided to be roommates themselves. The other group had Yamato and Guy, with Omoi and Aoba being the final pair.

The large group took the first few hours to unpack and unload their items, and just before Naruto and Sakura finished unloading their items they heard a loud knock at their door. The young blonde walked over to the door and opened it only to find Killer Bee waiting on the other side.

"So you're Naruto I'm guessing, ya fool" he said.

Naruto raised a single eyebrow but he nodded anyway, "Yeah I'm Naruto nice to meet you Killer Bee" he replied.

Killer Bee nodded in appreciation and offered the Hokage a fist bump, Naruto bumped his fist causing the Hachibi Jinchuuriki to smirk.

"You seem cool, ya fool. My bro already told me that I was meant to train you" he said.

Naruto smiled excitedly, "Yeah I'm ready to train anytime, I'm pumped after seeing you fight that squid" he replied.

"That's good but before then ya need to rest, if you wanna be the best. You had a long trip with the ship, and after that I'm sure you feel like…."

Naruto sighed, "Don't finish that sentence" he said.

Killer Bee rolled his eyes, "Alright whatever then ya fool, all I'm saying is that y'all need to rest. Give or take a week, or else you'll still stay weak" he replied.

"A week, why not start now?"

"This training is going to be gruesome and you'll need time to be at your best or else, just trust me on this one kid" he said.

The Hokage decided it was probably for the best to take his word for it, "Alright then we'll start in a week I guess" he replied.

"Good acclimatize yourself to your new surroundings for now, train in other things for a while, but as soon as the week is over then we'll begin your Jinchuuriki training"

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Later that night Naruto laid in bed with Sakura cuddling up to his side, they had just finished their first day in this island and it was finally time to rest. Naruto did feel tired and worn out but he just couldn't seem to sleep; he had a lot of things in his mind. He had been thinking about the possibilities of this training and all that could come of it, both good and bad.

"Can't sleep?"

Naruto turned to see Sakura looking up at him from his chest, "Did I wake you up?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head, "Yes and no, I can just feel that you're a bit uneasy at the moment. What's bothering you Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto sighed before staying silent for a few second, "I honestly don't know what to think about this Sakura-chan, I'm excited to be stronger and I really want to achieve what Bee did with the Hachibi" he confessed.

Sakura nodded in understanding, "I'm sure you can do it Naruto, if anyone else could achieve this it's you" she replied, "But now that you mention it that Bee guy is definitely a strange fellow"

Naruto chuckled softly before his mood turned somber, "I'm worried though that the Kyuubi isn't like the Hachibi, during my battle with Pein I confronted the fox and he almost escaped his prison. I was so close to letting him free, and if I did the damage he would have unleashed would have been catastrophic. I mean he's already hurt you, Jiraiya-sensei and Hinata, I'm worried that I can't control him again then he'll go and hurt you once more" he said.

Sakura leaned in to peck Naruto on the lips, "Don't worry about that Naruto, you've grown and changed so much since your last encounter with the fox. I believe that you will succeed, just be confident Naruto. Don't doubt yourself, I know you and you will overcome this obstacle like every other obstacle thrown your way in the past" she said in a confident tone.

Naruto smiled and kissed her forehead, "Thanks Sakura-chan I really needed to hear that"

"Don't worry about it, now go to sleep baka we have a long day tomorrow"

* * *

 **One Week Later**

A whole week had passed since then, and throughout that week Naruto spent that time relaxing and recuperating to prepare himself for the tough journey ahead of him. He wanted to be in the best state physically and mentally when his training began, and now he was focused on nothing more learning how to control the fox's powers and chakra.

Naruto, Motoi, Killer Bee, Sakura and Yamato all gathered by a nearby waterfall. The three Konoha ninjas looked around to examine the area and nothing seemed out of place, it seemed just like any other plain waterfall, but obviously it wasn't.

"So this is where we begin our training? There's nothing but a waterfall here, what's so special about this place?" Naruto asked.

"Looks can be deceiving Hokage-sama, this isn't just any ordinary waterfall. This place is called the Waterfall of Truth" answered Motoi.

"Waterfall of Truth?"

"Hai Hokage-sama, this place holds the first step towards conquering your Bijuu" said Motoi as he pointed towards the small circle of land in the middle of the water, "Sit there and meditate for now Hokage-sama, soon the waterfall will work its magic and you will be placed onto your first trial"

Naruto nodded eagerly before assuming a meditative position, he sat still on that small piece of land as if he was channeling nature chakra for his Sage Mode.

"Just sit there and close your eyes Hokage-sama, soon you shall see the truth"

Minutes soon pass for Naruto, he had been sitting in that same position for a while and yet nothing happened. Usually by this time he would've grown impatient and demanded answers from Motoi, but his Sage training had taught him the value of patience.

Soon a dark voice suddenly called out to Naruto, "How does it feel having all of Konoha kiss your ass all of a sudden?" said the voice. Naruto opened his eyes in shock due to the familiarity of the voice, and there he found a figure walking through the waterfall.

The Hokage's eyes widened in shock as the figure turned out to be him, it was as if he was staring at a mirror but the only notable difference was in their eyes. This other Naruto had dark red eyes which contrasted with his bright blue ones.

"What the hell is happening?" Naruto asked, he turned behind him hoping to get answers from the others but as he turned around there was no one there. Motoi, Killer Bee, Yamato and Sakura were nowhere to be seen and Naruto had no idea how to react.

"No use in looking for your friends, it's just you and me here chief" said the other Naruto.

The original Naruto turned to his strange counterpart, "Who the hell are you?" he yelled in anger.

The figure chucked in response, "Isn't it obvious, I'm you. The real you, I'm your darker side. I guess you can call me Yami Naruto. I represent the real you, now you can't bullshit everyone with their happy-go-lucky nature, we all know that shits nothing but an act. In truth you're angry; you're pissed at the villagers for all the shit they put you through. Its funny isn't it? After everything now they're suddenly sucking up to you. They want you to forget all the things they've put you through in the past" he said.

Naruto clenched his fists in anger, "Shut up you bastard, you're not villagers have all learned their lesson, they've changed. I proved to them that I nothing to fear" he replied.

"We'll see about that, now give me your best shot" taunted Yami Naruto.

The Hokage scowled before running at his evil counterpart, the two engaged in a taijutsu fight which eventually transitioned into a ninjutsu battle. It was a destructive battle between the two and obviously it was evenly matched, no matter what their fight always stayed at a draw. Naruto was practically fighting himself after all.

Hours soon pass and still no progress, both versions of Naruto stood on opposite ends panting and engulfed in sweat. Naruto could tell that he wasn't getting anywhere with fighting his darker side, instead as the fight continued he only began to feel more and more pity for that side of him.

Had a few things changed in his life that could've been him. If Iruka hadn't been there or if the Sandaime wasn't as caring as he was, Naruto could've ended up exactly like Yami Naruto. He began to feel immense sympathy for his counterpart; he couldn't even fathom a life with that much inner hatred and resentment.

Naruto shook his head and realized that at times like these compassion is the only answer. If it could work on the likes of Zabuza and Pein, then it could work on Yami Naruto. He wanted to show him that life isn't all about doom and gloom, despite the pain and suffering they've endured they've also had great, happy and memorable times.

Naruto was after all the youngest Hokage in Konoha; he achieved his dream of gaining the respect and recognition of the villagers despite their prior view and treatment of him. He also managed to gain unbreakable bonds with countless friends, and even the love of the girl he's coveted for as long as he could remember. All in all despite all the negatives in his life, there have also been a lot of positives to take from it, and Yami Naruto just had to realize that.

"Is that all you've got?" taunted Yami Naruto.

The original Naruto shook his head, "Come at me" he replied.

Yami Naruto scowled and ran at Naruto prepared to attack him, but before he could go and punch him the original Naruto grabbed him and hugged him tightly.

"It's alright; you don't have to feel this way all the time. It's alright, you can just let go"

Yami Naruto stood there in shock, his eyes were widened but he didn't even try to attack Naruto while he was in this vulnerable position. Instead he smiled softly as a few stray tears fell down from his eyes, and soon enough he slowly disappeared.

Naruto was brought of his state of meditation, he turned back behind him and this time he found the others standing there. He then looked up into the sky and he noticed the stars and the moon, he was surprised by this considering that they started their training at a very early morning, and now it appeared to be deep into the night.

"Looks like you've completed your first task, congratulations Hokage-sama. This is quite a difficult stage and you managed to finish it in your first try" said Motoi.

"Thanks, how long have I been in there?" Naruto asked.

"For practically the whole day, time really flies when you're in that state of mind"

"Yeah no kidding, it felt as if it's only been like three hours for me"

Killer Bee then walked over and bumped fists with Naruto, "That was impressive kid; I was amazed with what ya did. But now there's someone who wants to talk to you" he said.

"Alright sure, who it is?" asked Naruto.

"Me" Killer Bee said in an extremely deep voice, Naruto recoiled back in shock.

"What the hell happened to you Bee?" he asked.

"I'm not Bee, I'm actually the Hachibi. I'm using Bee to speak to you right now" he explained.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, "Oh wow that is so cool" he said.

The Hachibi chuckled, "Well thanks, first off I wanted to congratulate you for completing the first task. It's not an easy task and I'm surprised you got it in your first try. But as difficult as this was, things get even harder from here, the road you are about to embark on is filled with nearly insurmountable trials and tribulations, and you will be tested in every way. You will have to be at your best from here on forth, and we cannot afford any mistakes. One wrong move and it could lead to the Kyuubi being freed and you dying" he warned.

Naruto gulped nervously, he expected the training to be risky and difficult but the way the Hachibi put it did nothing to soothe him for the upcoming days.

"But we'll get there eventually, I suggest for now rest and recuperate a bit more because the next stage will be extreme, you'll have to confront the fox himself. But let me warn you about the Kyuubi, he is the most difficult out of all of us Bijuu; he is the strongest and most prideful among us. But if you're serious about building a relationship with him as Bee and I did with each other then you'll have to prepare yourself. The Kyuubi will have many tricks up his sleeve to try escape his prison so don't fully dive in and trust the fox's word unless you're absolutely sure. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded in confirmation, "Thanks for the advice Hachibi, I'll definitely keep that in mind"

"You don't have to call me Hachibi, just call me Gyuki"

"Gyuki?" asked Naruto

"Yeah all us Bijuu have a name, and mine is Gyuki"

"The Bijuu have names?"

Gyuki nodded, "I guess you didn't know about that, yes me and my siblings were given names by our father, the Sage of the Six Paths. Even the Kyuubi has a name, and that is a great way to build your relationship with the fox, learning his name first" advised the Hachibi.

"Why not just tell me right now?"

"It'll be better that he tell you himself, you'll have to earn his trust and respect before that happens"

* * *

 **Days Later**

The team gathered once more by the waterfall, but unlike last time Motoi wasn't there to join them. Instead it was Bee's turn to guide Naruto to the second phase of their training. Sakura was there to support Naruto as his girlfriend and to treat any of his wounds or injuries as the group's medic, Yamato on the other hand was there to try and help Naruto control the Kyuubi. His Mokuton abilities were able to suppress some of the Kyuubi's chakra and this skill was invaluable for what Naruto was about to do.

"Alright everyone please follow me" said Bee, the large dark skinned man walked through the waterfall with the others just behind him. The three Konoha ninjas gasped in awe at the sight before them, just through the waterfall was a massive temple.

"What is this place?" asked Sakura.

"This place is an old sacred temple where our Jinchuuriki go through a purification ceremony, and this is where Naruto will fight the Kyuubi" he said.

"WHAT? FIGHT THE KYUUBI?" Sakura yelled in shock.

Bee nodded, "Yeah the kid has to fight the fox himself if he wants to try and use his chakra, you ready for that kid?" he asked.

Naruto stayed confident, "Yeah don't worry about me Sakura-chan I can handle this, if I can beat Pein I win against the fox" he said.

Sakura sighed nervously but she decided to place her confidence and trust in Naruto, "Alright but please remember your promise" she replied.

Naruto chuckled softly, "Yeah don't worry I'll come back in one piece Sakura-chan" he said.

The group walked through the temple and there they found various headless statues, Sakura found them quite creepy but Naruto and the group continued walking past them. Naruto was focused on the task at hand and nothing more.

Soon the group arrived in a closed off room, "This is the place, this will be where you'll speak and fight the fox" said Bee.

"But the room's closed, and it won't budge" said Yamato.

Bee nodded, "Yeah before you can enter the room you'll have to go through the entry box. Only a chosen few can go through this, only the pure-hearted can enter. There can't be any darkness in your heart" he explained.

Naruto then realized the point of the first test, "So that's why I fought my inner darkness, it was so that I could progress to this phase" he said out loud.

"Exactly, for this entry box you'll have to put your head through the lion head on the well and it'll check if you have any darkness in your soul, and if you do then the door in the lion's head will shut itself with your head still in it. You'll be decapitated"

"So these statues are of former Jinchuuriki I'm guessing" said Naruto.

"Yup, you ready blondie?"

Naruto nodded and walked nervously towards the entry box, he placed his head inside of it. Then out of nowhere Naruto began to scream in pain. Sakura's eyes widen in fear, she and Yamato quickly grabbed Naruto and pulled him out of the entry box, but when they did his head was nowhere to be seen. The pinkette and the Jonin screamed in fear, until Naruto's head burst up from his shirt. The young blonde was laughing and pointing at the two.

"I got the both of you so bad; I can't believe you guys fell for that. You should've seen the look on your faces" he said in between fits of laughter.

Killer Bee also burst out laughing, "Man that was hilarious I did that exact same joke. I was just playing with y'all these statues are broken" he said.

Before Naruto and Bee continue they were both struck in the head by Sakura's fist, the pinkette then went on to scold the Hokage for his stupid and reckless actions, and for needlessly worrying her. Before turning to Bee and scolding him for also being an idiot and hiding that information from them. In the end both blondes ended up nursing gigantic bruises on their heads.

The door to the room soon opened and the two Jinchuuriki got back down to business, the group walked inside the room and there the Konoha ninjas were shocked to see such a clean, white and pristine room in the ruins of this deserted temple.

There was nothing in that room other than the door, the room seemed endless with no other item, windows, furniture or walls in sight. It was like a state of nothingness.

"Okay then Naruto, what kind of seal do you have holding your beast in?" asked Bee.

"A **Shishō Fūin** " he answered.

"Hmm interesting, that shit's strong stuff. Much stronger than my **Tekkō Fūin** " admitted Bee, "You got the key for that?"

"So we really are going to remove the seal, what happens if we can't control the seal and the Kyuubi is revived?" asked Yamato.

"Then we lock it in here, that's what this place is for. The fox will stay in here till we get a new Jinchuuriki for it" answered Bee.

"Alright sounds good with me, time to teach that fox who's the boss once and for all" Naruto said with conviction.

"I like your spunk blondie, Imma close the door and teach you what to do next"

Sakura walked over to Naruto, "You sure you're ready for this?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah I'm sure Sakura-chan"

The pinkette smiled knowing there was nothing that she could do to stop Naruto, so she leaned closer and kissed Naruto on the lips.

"Remember what I said, keep your promise or else"

Naruto smiled enthusiastically and gave her a thumps up, Killer Bee then instructed Naruto to sit down into a meditative pose.

"Listen Naruto, just concentrate and you'll soon find yourself in your mindscape and there you'll find the fox. When you're ready to do then take off the seal, but be warned you'll be in for one hell of a fight. But I'm sure you'll come out of this fight as the winner"

* * *

 **Naruto's Mindscape**

Naruto blinked in a matter of seconds and soon he found himself staring at the fox as he slept behind the cage, Killer Bee was gone along with Sakura and Yamato. Now it was just him and the fox. The Kyuubi opened a single eye as he felt his jailer's arrival.

"Came to visit me huh? Well I'm touched" he said sarcastically.

"Long time no see foxy, still looking as evil as ever I see" replied the Hokage.

"Hmm that's strange, I can't sense him. Where's the real you?"

"You're looking at him fox; I've conquered my inner darkness. It's just you and me now"

The fox raised a single eyebrow, "Is that so?" he asked with a sinister grin.

Naruto nodded confidently, "Get ready to get your ass kicked foxy" he said before jumping up into the air, he stood right in front of the paper seal placed on the cage sealing the fox. Naruto deeply breathed in and out before pulling the paper seal off.

The fox's eyes widened, "What are you doing?" he asked.

Naruto chose not to reply; instead he pulled up his shirt and also undid the seal placed on his stomach. Slowly the gate holding the fox inside the cage began to slowly open, as soon as the gate was fully opened the fox burst through it and the impact sent Naruto flying across the air.

But before the fox could commence with his attack, tentacles burst from the room and it held the fox's limbs. Both the fox and Naruto knew that it was the Hachibi helping.

"Ah I get it, you're trying to harness my power, and you had to turn to the Hachibi for help as well, and you call yourself a Jinchuuriki. My brother may be strong, but I am the strongest of the nine, I will show you my power" said the Kyuubi.

"Naruto when you're ready trap the fox's chakra with your own before ripping it out of him" Gyuki quickly warned while trying his best to hold down the fox.

But not long after that the Kyuubi broke free from his bind and he bit off the Hachibi's tentacles, the Kyuubi quickly prepared one of his most powerful attacks. The Kyuubi unleashed a powerful Bijūdama towards Naruto, but once again his attack was thwarted by the Hachibi.

One of Gyuki's arms rose from the ground and caught the attack to stop it from reaching Naruto's vulnerable state. The Kyuubi scowled knowing that it'll take him some time before he could unleash another attack of that magnitude.

"Sorry Naruto but my time is running out, that's all I can do to help you. It's all up to you now" Gyuki said before slowly fading away.

Naruto nodded, "Hai thanks for the help Gyuki-san leave the rest to me" he replied in a confident tone. The young Hokage jumped into the air, just as he did that he also entered into his Sage Mode. While in his meditative state to enter his mindscape, Naruto also gathered some nature chakra to help him for this fight.

" **Senpō: Chō Ōdama Rasengan** " he yelled as he attacked the fox with this gargantuan Rasengan, the fox saw this and blocked the attack with four of his tails. The collision caused the ground beneath them to crack. The fox managed to fully withstand the attack and while Naruto was still vulnerable he let out a massive roar to send him back flying once again.

This time while Naruto was flying through the air, the fox used his right arm to try and swipe the boy. Naruto simply used his left arm to swat the gigantic paw away; with Naruto in his Sage Mode at the moment his enhanced strength was enough to counter the fox's own strength.

This time it was the fox that was affected by the counter, he skidded a bit backwards and Naruto quickly took this opportunity to attack.

" **Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu"**

Water from the ground burst up into the air in the form of a dragon before quickly colliding with the gigantic fox, the Kyuubi was once more sent back quite a while by the force of the attack. Naruto then jumped up into the air and summoned nine other shadow clones.

Naruto and his shadow clones all weaved through hand seals, **"Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku"** they yelled before expelling crushing spheres of wind at the Kyuubi. The fox was once again unable to dodge or block the attack and he was greatly wounded by the attacks Naruto used so far.

"Damn you stupid brat you've improved haven't you" he said.

Naruto paid no attention and instead quickly ran over to the back of the fox, he then grabbed hold of one of his tails and he used his Sage strength to flip the giant Bijuu over.

The Hokage then quickly used **Doton: Yomi Numa** to turn the area surrounding the Kyuubi into mud, this made it more difficult for the fox to stand up and recover considering how slippery the floor was now. This bought Naruto more time to prepare his next attack.

With that in mind Naruto dispelled his shadow clones before pumping more chakra into his legs, the blonde jumped high up into the air as he held out his right arm. His hand then began to form a **Rasengan** but soon wind chakra began to envelope the jutsu.

" **Ōdama Rasenshuriken"**

Naruto threw the attack into the fox's unguarded torso, the jutsu obviously managed to strike its target and the fox screamed and wailed in pain, the attack was of enormous power and the fox was punished severely for underestimating his target. He thought that Naruto was probably still the same old Naruto, but after this he was beginning to see just how wrong he was.

Once the attack subsided, the Kyuubi laid there on the ground still unable to stand up due to the pain he was experiencing. Naruto's eyes widen as the opportunity finally presented itself, it was time to try and harness the fox's chakra.

Naruto began to concentrate intensely as he used his chakra to try and rip the fox's own chakra out of him. He then began to harness the fox's chakra but he took the darkness of the fox's chakra for granted, as he gained more and more of the fox's chakra he began to feel more and more of the fox's hate and resentment. It was beginning to hurt him, the pain was growing unbearable.

The fox began to chuckle darkly, "Now you're finally tasting my chakra, tell me boy do you like it? Feel my hatred boy, let it consume you" he yelled.

Naruto was beginning to lose focus, he was slowly losing grip of the fox's chakra. He was losing this tug-of-war; he knew he had to win this because if he didn't win then the fox was going to be set free.

"This is just a tiny fragment of my hatred you brat, and to think you had come here to try and harness my power. You are now being punished for your foolishness" the fox yelled.

Naruto writhed in pain and he was quickly losing control of his soul, the fox was beginning to win this tug-of-war and Naruto had no idea what to do. The fox could only laugh as he watched his tenant suffer, freedom for him was close at hand and he only needed a few more seconds.

"Stop this now fox"

The Kyuubi's eyes widened upon hearing that voice, it was a feminine voice that could have only belonged to one person. He can quickly tell the owner of that voice, after all he was jailed in that person for many years.

"Oh no not you, stay out of this. This is my chance to be free"

"You know I can't do that"

Chains sprung forth from the ground binding the fox once more it was unable to move from the spot he laid in. Afterwards light soon engulfed the area blinding Naruto momentarily, but as the light appeared the pain Naruto felt began to recede. After a while he opened his eyes and there he found a beautiful red-haired woman offering him her hand to help him stand.

He looked at his surroundings, the fox was nowhere in sight and he was no longer in the sewer where the fox's cage was placed. Instead he was now in a strange area, there was no end in sight in this place. The floor he laid on was pristine and white, and the sky had a beautiful shade of yellow, but there was no moon or sun present.

'Where am I? Am I in heaven?' he thought to himself

He then remembered the beautiful red-haired lady in front of him offering him her hand, he graciously accepted the gesture, and as soon as he stood up he got a clearer look on the lady's face.

She was smiling at him and Naruto was confused as to why, he didn't know who this lady was and he was sure he's never met her before, but for some reason she did seem familiar to him.

Naruto was curious as to why this lady was looking at him with such affection, "Who are you?" he asked out of confusion.

The red-haired lady chuckled, "I suppose it's only natural you don't remember me Naruto. I'm Kushina Uzumaki" she replied with a smile.

Naruto's eyes widened, he now remembered everything. He remembered the files he dug up, the photos Kakashi gave him. Tears began to cascade down Naruto's cheek as a large smile adorned his face.

"Mom I can't believe it's actually you" he exclaimed before wrapping his mother in a big hug, Naruto had always wanted to meet his parents and after already meeting his father earlier on, he was glad to finally do the same with his mother.

Kushina smiled warmly before returning the gesture, mother and son stayed in that position for a while, neither of them wanted to let go. For the longest time Naruto yearned for the love of his parents and now he was finally getting it, Kushina on the other had been waiting for this moment; she wished it was under better circumstances but it was better than nothing. At least now she finally had the chance to hold her baby boy once more, the last time had been in her dying days before the Kyuubi killed Minato and her.

After a while the two separated from their hug, Kushina could only admire her son and what a fine young man he turned out to be.

"I've always wanted to meet you mom, there's so many things I've wanted to tell you" he said.

Kushina smiled warmly at the blonde, "I'm sure there is, well good thing we have a lot of time to talk" she replied.

For the next few hours the two of them just talked and they got to know each other more and more, Naruto kind of wished he had this opportunity with his dad but that was a whole other situation where he had to stop him from breaking the fox's seal prematurely. Now however Naruto had lots of time to talk with his mother, but for most of the time Naruto listened in to his mother's stories about her childhood and how she met his father, and how they fell in love.

Naruto laughed and smiled at the romantic story, in a way Kakashi really was right. His parents did remind him of him and Sakura, the story and the mannerisms were eerily similar. Soon after that Naruto then told Kushina about his life, this time the mood turned sombre but Naruto made sure to tell his mother just how much things have changed.

Kushina was naturally angry at first at how the villagers treated his own son, but she was glad to learn that they eventually saw the error of their ways. She was then surprised to learn the rest about Naruto's life, all his friends and comrades, the pranks he pulled, the insane and memorable missions he's partaken in, how he already became the Hokage, and how he got himself a girlfriend.

Of course Kushina mostly focused on the latter two, Naruto told her the story about how he was inducted as Hokage at such an early age. Kushina couldn't feel prouder of her son, so young and he's already achieved her dream and he was already following in the footsteps of his own father.

After telling her the story of he became Hokage, he then told her about the story of him and Sakura. Kushina listened intently with a knowing grin on her face, despite the wee hiccups he had with Sasuke in the mix, everything else seemed to remind Kushina about her and Minato, and from what she's heard about Sakura she really liked the girl. From her monstrous strength to her uncontrollable temper, and to her exotic shade of hair colour, Kushina began to see more and more of herself in the girl. She was relieved to know that someone was disciplining her son the way she would have, she was confident that he was in good hands.

"And that's about everything with Sakura-chan and I" Naruto concluded with a blush on his cheeks.

"Well I like this girl, it's a shame I can't meet her. I'd love to see her even once" replied Kushina.

Naruto frowned, "Yeah I wish you could meet her too, I'm sure you two will get along quite well"

"I think so too sochi, I really do"

"So anyway mom there's something else I want to ask you, what's with those chains a while ago. They were awesome"

Kushina chuckled, "They're actually a special jutsu reserved for the Uzumaki Clan, there is a way you can learn it" she said.

Naruto's eyes widen in excitement like he was a kid in candy shop, "Really? I can learn it?" he asked.

Kushina nodded, "Before I leave I can transfer my remaining chakra and memories to you and you'll be able to instantly learn how to use those chains, I've been saving this moment for that. It's only right that the traditions of the Uzumaki Clan continue through you Naruto" she said.

"Before you go?" he asked with a sad expression. "This can't last forever can it?"

Kushina sighed before shaking her head, "You and I both know it can't, you still have a lot of work to do and I'm running out of time. I've done my role Naruto and the rest is up to you, there are millions of lives counting on you" she answered.

Tears began to stream down his face one more time; he knew that his time with his mother was running out. He was glad to have had this moment but this goodbye was harder than anything he's ever had to do, all he wanted to do was continue to spend time with his mother but he knew that she was right, he still had unfinished business to take care off and she completed her role in all this.

"I love you sochi, I'm sorry I wasn't there for a large majority of your life. If I could've I would've"

"Don't worry mom I know, I've only really met you a few hours ago but I can say this, I couldn't have asked for a better mom. I love you"

Kushina smiled before fading away, Naruto sighed knowing that this was probably the last time he was ever going to see his mother. Soon his surroundings changed, it returned back to the sewer and there he found the fox lying on the ground with chains holding him down.

The Hokage sighed deeply; he was finally at peace and he knew what he had to do now. After meeting his mother and spending time with her, his anger towards Madara increased tenfold for taking that away from him, and after looking at the fox he quickly devised a plan.

Naruto jumped up into the fox's bare stomach and he walked closer up towards the head before he was staring right into the fox's eye, the Kyuubi tried to bite and bark to try and intimidate Naruto but it wasn't working. Naruto just stared right into the eye of the Kyuubi with no hint of fear or

"Listen here fox, I'm going to make you an offer. An offer you can't refuse"

* * *

 **Glossary**

Shishō Fūin - Four Symbols Seal

Tekkō Fūin - Iron Armour Seal

Senpō: Chō Ōdama Rasengan - Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan

Bijūdama - Tailed Beast Ball

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu - Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique

Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku - Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere

Doton: Yomi Numa - Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld

Rasengan - Spiralling Sphere

Ōdama Rasenshuriken - Big Ball Rasenshuriken

 **Author's Note**

Well here is Chapter 19 for you guys, hope y'all enjoyed it. I did my best to spice things up here and there and as you noticed Naruto was finally beginning to use a wider variety of elements other than wind, I kind of hated it through the story that Naruto was practically always stuck with wind, and even then he only really had the Rasengan and Rasenshuriken for wind, while Sasuke had all of his lightning and fire techniques. So here for this story and all my other stories expect a wide variety of elemental techniques for Naruto. Hoped you guys like the wee Godfather reference in the end as well, I enjoyed adding that bit in. Anyway thanks everyone for the support please check out my other stories as well, they're in my profile and they're called Yondaime's Legacy, and Child of Prophecy. If any of you guys have any questions, suggestions or criticisms for my stories then please leave a review or you can pm me, I love the feedback you guys give me, good and bad. Anyway thanks again everyone and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll try to update again soon.


	20. A Deal With The Devil

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hello all my loyal fans, I'm back with a new update. Sorry again for the delay but this is just how my schedule goes nowadays, I'm trying to do the best with what I have. At the moment this story just recently surpassed over 1000 follows and thank you to everyone for all the support. At the moment my favourites are at the upper 800s and I hope it'll reach the 1000 mark soon as well. And I will keep to my promise if that were to happen.**

 **Just to refresh everyone's memory in one of my earlier author's notices I promised a fan service chapter consisting of a lemon scene. It won't really affect the story much, more of a one-shot chapter within my story if you will. So for the people not interested you can skip it and you won't miss a beat of the story. The pairing for that lemon scene will be NaruSaku, but for fan service I'm thinking of adding either Ino, Mei, or anyone you guys want for that particular scene. But this'll only happen if we reach 1000 favourites for this story.**

 **Also at the moment I'm having a hard time with writing God of Shinobi, I'm unsure on how to start it. I don't know how to make it non-cliché, all other ideas have been used pretty much and my mind is drawing blanks at the moment on how to write that story's introduction chapters, I have a set idea for the theme and for the middle of the story, I'm just unsure on how to start it. At the moment I'm thinking of just starting a different story to replace God of Shinobi for now, and I'll just revisit it one day when I feel like I have a suitable intro. So look out for a new story soon.**

 **Anyway thanks again everyone for the support, this chapter will be a wee bit shorter than usual but it is an important chapter for the development of my story. As per usual, please continue to support my work by following and adding my story to your favourites list. If you guys have any questions and/or suggestions to make do not hesitate to leave a review or message me. I'll try my best to answer and address all your questions, suggestions and concerns.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: A Deal with the Devil**

Naruto stared right into the demon's eyes with a confident smirk adorning his face; he showed no fear to the fox. The Kyuubi bared its fangs at the young blonde but it had no effect on young man.

"Fox I suggest you hear me out, I have a deal which could benefit the both of us. After all you and I are both after the same thing"

The Kyuubi snarled at the cockiness of the young Hokage, "Oh and what would that be gaki?" the demon asked sarcastically.

"Madara"

The fox's eyes widened in shock, Naruto certainly knew how to press his buttons because he managed to grab his attention by uttering that one single name.

"Seems like I finally got your attention fox, like I said I came here to bargain and I believe we may prove useful to one another. After all the enemy of my enemy is my friend"

The Kyuubi continued to glare at Naruto but despite how much the fox disliked the blonde boy, his feelings towards Madara bordered on hatred and loathing.

"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, is that what this is brat?"

Naruto smirked and nodded, "Exactly, as you know Madara has been a thorn in my side since the day I was born, and I'm sure you're fully aware of what's happening in the outside world. Long story short I'll admit I probably can't beat him yet, and as history goes neither could you" he said.

The fox bared his fangs at the boy's cheeky response, he hated hearing him but he had to admit that even he couldn't defeat Madara in a battle. The Uchiha even had the power to put him under his control, "Get on with it gaki" demanded the fox.

"Obviously in order to defeat Madara we need to work together; our power will only be heightened if we cooperate the same way Killer Bee and Gyuki do. I know our past prior to this has been shaky, but I'm willing to let go of the past and start anew. We need to do this, if not then Madara wins and I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen now do you"

The Kyuubi growled at the young boy but Naruto stood there unflinching, once again he had to concede to the blonde's point. They needed each other if they wanted to defeat Madara, and as it goes right now Naruto already had power to match himself at a fight, his chances of taking over Naruto's body were long gone. The blonde had achieved enough power that he could stand up and face the Kyuubi, but now he could also fight difficult battles with relying on the Kyuubi's powers. He realized this was his last chance of ever being free from his prison.

With a reluctant sigh the Kyuubi agreed to the offer, "Very well gaki but remember this partnership is only for the demise of Madara, nothing more nothing less" he warned.

Naruto shook his head, "You may think that now fox but you never know what the future may store fox, we may end up either one of two ways. We could be like Gaara and Shukaku, or we could end up like Bee and Gyuki. I for one hope for the latter, so this decision goes down to you" he replied.

The Kyuubi scowled, "I'm not interested in being your friend brat, all I want is to exact vengeance on that Uchiha bastard. I'll make him pray to Kami that he was never born" he said.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "Like I said it's up to you. I should probably go back now, but before I go I'd like to know your name" he declared.

The fox's eyes widened in shock, "Why would you want to know that?" he asked.

The Hokage shrugged, "Well if we're going to be partners I'll need to know your name, I'm sure you don't like just being called the Kyuubi or fox"

"Kurama" the fox said softly.

"What was that?"

"Kurama" he said again, "My name is Kurama"

Naruto smiled at the large fox, "Well then it's nice to finally meet you Kurama, the real you" he replied while extending his fist to the Bijuu.

The fox had a thoughtful expression plastered onto his face, "It's been so long since anybody's called me by my own name" he said. The fox couldn't put his finger on it but this boy had a familiar aura to him, he then noticed him extending his fist for a fist bump, usually the fox would've just swatted him away but for some reason he was curious and compelled by the boy so he returned the gesture.

The boy smiled then he began to fade away, but before leaving he decided to do one final thing.

Naruto's mindscape quickly began to change, the depressing and saddening sewer prison surrounding the area quickly vanished and instead it turned into a lush forest. The fox watched in shock, he didn't expect this from the kid and he was grateful. The prison was too glum but this new vibrant and lively atmosphere was more than welcome for the fox, especially considering how this was a fox's natural habitat, a lush forest.

Naruto grinned as he saw the fox's reaction, "You're welcome Kurama" he said before finally leaving his mindscape.

The fox continued sitting there in shock, no one had done anything this nice to him since the days of his father, it even brought a small smile on the fox's face.

"Thank you…Naruto," he muttered softly.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

The young blonde opened his eyes only to find Sakura, Yamato and Killer Bee staring directly at him, as soon as they saw Naruto open his eyes a look of relief washed over them. Sakura jumped at Naruto and tackled him to the ground, she engulfed him in a big hug.

"I was worried for you baka, I'm glad you're finally back" she exclaimed, Naruto smiled knowing just how much the pinkette cared for him.

Yamato only sighed in relief, he didn't need to say anything but he was glad that Naruto was alright after all. Killer Bee on the other hand grinned at the young man.

"It looks like you won, you must've showed him who was number one" he said.

Naruto nodded, he began to call up some of the Kyuubi's chakra and he felt a surge of power unlike ever before. Unlike the last time, this chakra did not hold any form of malice. In fact, it was a warm and protective coat of chakra, gone was the blood red colour surrounding Naruto, instead he was engulfed by a yellowish orange chakra cloak. Very similar to that of the sun.

Naruto's pupils became slit, the whisker marks on his cheeks darkened and thickened, and finally the chakra shrouding Naruto turned formed into a Haori just like to the one he already wore.

Yamato and Sakura watched in awe as Naruto basked in his new form and in his new power, they were amazed by the strength he was radiating. Killer Bee smiled, his form was very different to that of Naruto's but he was glad that Naruto even managed to reach this stage already. But just as soon as Naruto summoned that form, it quickly vanished as he returned to normal.

"What the hell? Why'd I go back to normal so quickly?" whined Naruto.

Killer Bee noticed this and had only one explanation, "It's because your link with your Bijuu isn't as refined as the one I have with my partner. You two need to bond further and build chemistry so that you can remain in that state longer. Another thing is that your chakra is still adapting to that form of power, some more exposure to that form will help you out. Looks like Gyuki and I will have to train you to learn how to fully and properly harness your Bijuu's powers" he replied.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "So when do we start?" he asked excitedly.

Killer Bee held a thoughtful expression, "In a week. I suggest you rest up and get accustomed to that new form of yours first. I need you to be fresh when we begin our training, it'll be like nothing you've ever done before. So be prepared" he said.

Naruto hated having to wait, he certainly wasn't the patient type but he decided to listen to Bee's advice. After all Bee had gone through the same thing he was going through and if anyone knew what to do it was him.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

All the members of the reborn Akatsuki were sitting in this conference room, with Obito of course sitting at the head of the table. The group was discussing their resources and manpower for the upcoming war. The Akatsuki were pleased with what they have, in their estimation the battle was truly set to begin in roughly two to three years.

At the moment, they were already a powerful force due to their collection of Bijuu and their S-Rank ninjas, but they were going against the Five Great Ninja Nations along with the Samurai of the Land of Iron. This was no easy task and for this battle they had to be at their best in order to win.

Despite them already being in a favourable position to challenge the Allied Shinobi Forces, Obito's goal wasn't to challenge them at all, it was to destroy them and defeat them in battle, and even if that meant delaying his goal a few years then so be it. He wanted to guarantee himself a victory rather than start earlier and risk it by not being as fully prepared as he could've been had he waited.

This was Obito's lifework, and this was also his predecessor: Madara's lifework as well. He needed to execute this procedure perfectly, there was no room for mistakes or careless errors, if he wanted to end up as the victor he needed to be absolutely flawless in his approach and in his tactics.

But despite the gargantuan task ahead of them, Obito remained confident in himself and in group. He surrounded himself with some of the strongest missing ninjas in the world, he conquered and annexed two great lands to his cause; Otogakure and Amegakure, he acquired the legendary Rinnegan and he controlled the first seven of the nine tailed beasts.

Why shouldn't he feel confident with a resume like that, he had a multitude of deadly and legendary weapons at his disposal and he was prepared to use them all against the Allied Shinobi Forces. Despite his patient and tactical approach to the lead up to the war, Obito was still extremely excited to begin. He wanted to witness the true extent of his group's power, and how the Allied Shinobi Forces were meant to stack up against them.

The only thing he did worry about though was none other than the final two Jinchuuriki, both Naruto and Killer Bee were nowhere to be seen and not even Zetsu could find the two. Obito needed the two of them to complete his plan, or to be more accurate he needed the Bijuu residing inside of them. But just recently the two seemed to have disappeared and the Akatsuki are clueless as to their whereabouts, and there haven't been any rumours circling the two's location. The Akatsuki were truly at a loss, and if Obito knew Naruto he knew he would be training and getting stronger right about now.

This worried Obito slightly because if Naruto managed to utilize the Kyuubi's chakra the same way Bee does with the Hachibi then things were definitely going to be more difficult. Naruto would become substantially more powerful and he already was, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

But at the moment he couldn't do anything about, at least not while he was still unaware of the location of those two. He decided right then and there it was probably best to exert some more effort into finding those two, after all those two were the key to the war.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Sorry about the long delay everyone but here is my latest update, it's a bit shorter than usual but this was meant to be brief due to the small interaction between Naruto and the fox. But here it is, Naruto is finally progressing and as you can see he went straight into the Kurama Chakra Mode rather than the Kyuubi Chakra Mode in Canon. Naruto still won't be able to form his chakra into Kurama just yet and he won't last long at that form, because although in my story he is still learning quick, he'll have to train a lot to retain his forms. I want him to be strong and slightly OP, but I don't want him to be almost godlike OP so quickly, there will be growing pains for Naruto but he will get to his goal eventually. Also look out for more chapters in the future, I'll definitely try to update again soon. Thanks everyone for the support, let's hope I reach 1k soon.


	21. The War to End All Wars

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Author's Notice: Hello everyone I'm back and if you've noticed I'm back with a few new stories as well. Sorry for the long wait, you all already know my busy schedule but I'll try to update whenever I can. Anyway in regard to my new stories they were made to keep me inspired to write, I love my current stories but I needed a fresh start again just to keep me motivated but worry not I will continue updating my other ones regardless. I plan on finishing my stories eventually with this one taking priority because it was my first story and frankly I have a soft spot for this one. But please do check my profile out and give my new stories a read I hope you'll like them like you like this one. The new stories are called The Will of Fire, The Legendary Three, and Inari. Please give them a quick read but also watch out for more stories coming soon, I have a few more Naruto stories planned that I want to try and write about, and I also have a One Piece story under works. For those who don't know despite most my stories being Naruto, One Piece is my favorite manga/anime and I'm so excited writing about Luffy's adventures and whatnot, so for the fellow One Piece fans out there keep an eye out because it is definitely coming soon.**

 **The poll from the last chapter has also finished and results came back with NaruSakuIno winning over NaruSakuKuro by just four votes, a close call and so because of that the fanservice chapter will be NaruSakuIno. I don't know when this chapter will be just yet but I'll probably organize the chapter and integrate it when Naruto and company return to Konoha. Sorry also guys for the short chapter but this is how it kind of went in my plans from ages ago and I couldn't think of much more to add to it without leading to a constant repetition.**

 **Thanks everyone for the continuous support I really appreciate it, also please continue to do the same for my other stories as well. As per usual please also favorite and follow my stories, also if you have any questions or suggestions for my stories feel free to leave a review or pm me. Thanks again.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: The War to End All Wars**

Months had passed since Naruto began his strict training regimen in the turtle island with Killer Bee. In that span of time Naruto wholeheartedly dedicated himself to his training, and as much as it pained him he chose to have no contact with the outside world thus keeping himself focused. He wanted to know what was going on with the war and the preparations but he knew that would only deter him from the main reason he went to the island. He knew he was there to train and grow stronger and if he really wanted to help in the war he first had to prove himself as ready.

The main focus of his training had been his Jinchuuriki training with Killer Bee himself, naturally this was meant to be the key for his participation in the war and if he were to master this skill then the Allied Shinobi Forces power would be bolstered significantly. But his training wasn't solely dedicated to Jinchuuriki training. He also trained in chakra control and in the basics of medical ninjutsu with his girlfriend Sakura, a bit of Taijutsu from Guy, some Sage training with Fukasaku and Shima, elemental manipulation from Yamato for earth and water, and he also trained by himself in other times experimenting with his father's jutsus and whatnot.

Normally it would take Jinchuuriki training at least four years to master if you lucky, but Naruto knew he was pressed for time with the war starting in a couple of years so he was doing his best to master this far quicker than anyone else. Naruto was not disturbed by the lack of time instead he welcomed the challenge. He managed to learn the Rasengan in a month before when he was a young genin, and to him this was just another platform he could use to prove the doubters wrong.

Since making that agreement with Kurama, many things have changed. Naruto tried to make the fox open up a bit more, it was difficult at first but slowly but surely Naruto was managing to change even the fox's heart. Since Kurama now worked with Naruto, he was now also able to access Sage Mode without the fox rejecting the sage chakra making it easier for Naruto to switch into his various modes and forms for battle.

* * *

 **With Sasuke**

But while Naruto was training and growing stronger, Sasuke was doing the same. He was prepping himself for what was to come. A battle between Naruto and Sasuke was inevitable, and both wanted to win and both knew that their counterpart was preparing for that moment.

Sasuke had been training with both Obito and Orochimaru, further increasing his skills. The main focus of his training was not only on his elemental manipulation but also in his use of the Mangekyo Sharingan and for his ultimate form the Susanoo.

"You've grown stronger Sasuke, I'm pleased with your progression thus far" said Obito.

Sasuke remained emotionless, "What else did you expect?" he asked rather smugly.

"Tch well then I think you're finally ready for the next step in your training Sasuke"

"Oh, and what is this next step then Obito?"

"I think you'll be pleased when you find out Sasuke, follow me to my lab" replied Obito as the two walked out of their training grounds and into Obito's underground lab. Once there Sasuke found Nagato's body in the operation table with one remaining eye.

"Is it what I think it is?" asked Sasuke.

Obito grinned manically before nodding, "You're going to have to give up your left eye but you may find the replacement quite satisfactory" he replied.

Sasuke chuckled menacingly, "Well I can say for sure I didn't expect this" he said before eyeing up the remaining Rinnegan, "This will definitely further increase my power, that dobe will not stand a chance against me. Konoha and that stupid allied shinobi forces will burn to the ground"

Obito watched as Sasuke's eyes lit up at the power being given to him, he then patted the operation table right next to Nagato's lifeless body.

"Lay here Sasuke, when it's all said and done you will possess the power to rival that of a god. The Allied Shinobi Forces will stand no chance, they will kneel before us two. We are both gifted not only with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan but the two of us will soon be wielding a Rinnegan alongside that. Earlier today Sasuke Zetsu notified me about the disappearance of both Killer Bee and Naruto, they are nowhere to be found but I'm sure those two are training and getting stronger for the upcoming war and so I decided it was about time we step it up as well. And what better way than with by blessing you with the eyes of the Sage"

* * *

 **Suna**

The Five Kages gathered in Sunagakure in a meeting to discuss the upcoming war. The nations were represented by their usual Kages but with Tsunade sitting in for Konoha while Naruto was away training.

During Naruto's absence Mifune had chosen Gaara to be Second-In-Command and so while the blonde was away his friend led and managed the Allied Shinobi Forces as its leader for the moment.

"Have there been any updates surrounding Naruto's training with Bee-san?" asked the auburn haired Kazekage.

The Raikage nodded before standing up to address his fellow Kages, "Hai, according to my men stationed in the island they reported back to me with good news. It seems the Hokage managed to convince the fox to work with him and he is now able to form a Bijuu Mode similar to that of my younger brother. Although he is far too inefficient with it at the moment, it'll take him a lot longer to master this skill and to fully synchronize with the Bijuu inside of him. He is progressing at a remarkable rate but at the moment he is still far too hit and miss, but they are working hard to make sure he excels in that skill" he explained as the Kages all nodded impressed at the young man's growing skills and power.

"Very well that is indeed good news, we are to need Naruto if we are truly to win this war. He and Killer Bee hold the key, we as a force are powerful enough but while added with the tremendous powers of the Hachibi and Kyuubi Jinchuuriki then Madara and the Akatsuki will stand no chance" Onoki exclaimed rather boldly.

"Indeed Tsuchikage-dono but let us not underestimate our opponent and get carried away, the Akatsuki are a sly group of criminals and honestly who knows what they have under their sleeve. I'm sure we all know they have something under their sleeve, there is no way a group of just about 10 ninjas would be daring enough to challenge the might of the five great ninja nations and all our other allies without having a plan" replied Gaara.

"I agree with the Kazekage, we must not hasten ourselves into believing our victory is inevitable. We may be powerful as a group no doubt, but it would definitely be foolish and naïve of us to underestimate the Akatsuki. This is Madara Uchiha we are speaking off, a man powerful enough to fight my own grandfather the Shodai Hokage" said the acting Hokage Tsunade Senju.

"Nonetheless Hokage-dono, the progress Naruto-kun is making is surely a great boost in our morale. If things turn out the way we planned it then our power is bolstered significantly. But you two are right we can't count our earnings without winning just yet, we do not want to be blinded by pride and arrogance when we battle a cunning and dangerous group such as the Akatsuki" said the Mizukage, Mei Terumi.

"Concerning Naruto's training I was given a few more updates by our own men accompanying Naruto, at the moment the main concern of his training is concerning his teamwork and chemistry with the Kyuubi. But the kid is also working heavily on elemental manipulation alongside other new jutsus adding a bit of variation to his skills. Definitely a good thing to hear" said Tsunade.

"Alright with that matter aside, I'd like to enquire about the current number of troops and soldiers we have for the Allied Shinobi Forces. How many men and women do we have fighting for us?" asked the Kazekage.

Mabui who accompanied the Raikage started to speak up, "Greetings Kazekage-dono, at the moment our numbers are roughly around 100,000 soldiers. Konoha, Suna, Iwa, Kumo and Kiri managed to form most of our forces adding up to around 75,000 to 80,000 soldiers. While Tetsu no Kuni supplied around 5000 samurais to our cause. The remaining number are the ninjas, soldiers and fighters than volunteered from the smaller villagers allied with our group" she explained.

"What other news do you have for us Mabui-san?" asked the Kazekage.

"Well Kazekage-dono I'm pleased to further report that our efforts towards the war are being contributed by some of Naruto-sama's allies. For the nations that lack the military power that others hold they help provide us with provisions or innovative technology. For instance Yuki no Kuni is currently in the process of researching technology that might make transportation of people, items and information faster among the various countries, also they are working heavily on creating new weapons that may give our soldiers the edge in the upcoming war" she answered confidently with a smile.

The Kages nodded pleased by the obvious advancements in their preparations, "Anything else?" asked the Mizukage.

"Hai Mei-sama, Oni no Kuni are sending nurses and doctors to help our medical teams. Udon no Kuni is among many of the other lands that are helping us provide food and water for the soldiers of the Allied Shinobi Forces, and finally Nami no Kuni are helping build small bases, fortresses, watch towers and the like across the lands. They are sending their best builders and carpenters to help us make infrastructure that may just give us an edge for what is to come"

"Good news indeed, arigato Mabui-san you are dismissed" said Gaara.

Mabui nodded and bowed towards the Kages, "Arigato Kazekage-dono" she replied with respect before walking out of the room leaving the Kages and their various advisors to their own business.

"Alright on to the next segment of our meeting, I called for this meeting because Shikaku here has a plan towards organizing our forces into different divisions and platoons based on their skills" said Tsunade as the elder Nara stood up to address the Kages.

"Good morning everyone, I was coming up with tactics and strategies for the war and I firmly believe we should organize our troops in a certain way to best accommodate their skills and to utilize them to their best potential" he explained.

"Pray do tell Shikaku-san, how would you organize the troops?" asked Onoki.

"Obviously it goes without a doubt that we'll lead a medical division, intelligence division and an information and communication division. But other than that I thought that we should incorporate a senor and tracking division, an assassination division, and a logistical support division. Not yet including the proper combat divisions"

"Interesting, those would go in handy especially considering that not all ninjas are skilled at fighters. I know many whose best traits revolve around tracking or information gathering rather than actual physical combat" Onoki added on.

"As for combat divisions I believe we should divide it into five main platoons. One being dedicated for close-range fighters, another for medium-range fighters, a third for close to medium-range fighters, a fourth for long-range fighters, and finally a special platoon for non-shinobi fighters such as the samurai. These divisions and platoons should of course have a leader in their ranks and we should make a plan soon as to where to place certain ninjas depending on their skill set"

"I agree with Shikaku-san these are all terrific ideas and on the topic of leaders I would like to nominate my brother Kankuro as a leader for the assassination division, him and his puppets utilize a silent yet deadly approach in their fights relying heavily on various poisons and the like. Obviously very fitting for an assassin" explained Gaara.

Shikaku nodded in understanding, "Very true Kazekage-dono and I will keep that in mind, we should start recommending people to lead the platoons and divisions now and later we will come to a final verdict as to who should lead" he answered swiftly.

"Well personally for me I'd like to nominate my own apprentice Shizune Kato to lead the medical division, she's learned everything I know about medical ninjutsu and she has shown obvious promise in that field, and I believe she is best suited for that role"

"As for the sensory division I'd like to nominate yet another person, Neji Hyuuga" said Tsunade much to the surprise of the other Kages, "I know what you're all thinking that he may be too young and inexperienced but you should all know by now not to fully judge age and experience. Naruto trusts him and he is one of the most skilled and intelligent ninjas to come from the Hyuuga Clan. His skills are at the level of a Jonin already and he served as Naruto's bodyguard for the Five Kage Summit"

"Very well Tsunade-sama I'll note that down, are there any other suggestions"

The Raikage spoke up immediately, "Hai I believe my right-hand man Darui is capable of leading the mid-range fighters. He is a skilled fighter who possesses Storm Release. A very capable and versatile fighter if I do say so myself" he explained proudly.

"Well if you're nominating someone then so will I" said Onoki, "For the close-range fighters I nominate my own son Kitsuchi. He is one of the powerful Jonin in Iwagakure and he has proven himself time and again that he is a skilled and talented fighter and leader"

"I think it goes without a doubt then that the close to mid-range division should be led by Kakashi Hatake then. Do I need to go on and explain his credentials or is everyone in agreement over this one?" asked Tsunade. All the Kages nodded in agreement with none arguing that appointment.

"Alright then for the long-range division I'd like my sister Temari, she is a powerful Jonin from Sunagakure and she has a strong affinity towards wind. That accompanied by her fan leads to a flurry of long ranged attacks of wind and the like" Gaara added on.

"Well then it should go without a doubt then that I shall lead the fifth division of non-shinobi as the leader of the samurai" Mifune quipped in, as the Kages all agreed wholly with the samurai.

"Also however I thought we should have a secret sixth and seventh group used only in the most drastic of times" said Shikaku, "A sixth group consisting of the Kages and a Seventh group consisting of Jinchuuriki"

"Very true in times of danger we should be the ones to fight the insurmountable odds as the strongest of every village. We have been chosen as Kages for a reason and that is to protect our people and our village, and if the time or situation calls for it we will be there" said Gaara.

"Very noble indeed Kazekage-sama, I believe the sixth and final group should have all five of you of course and Naruto. Then the seventh group will have Naruto and Killer Bee together if Naruto succeeds in his training under Killer Bee. The latter should oversee dealing with the other Bijuu seeing how they have the power to combat the first seven Bijuu, especially considering they hold the two strongest"

"This is the biggest war we will ever see, we cannot lose this. This is one last obstacle we have to face to reach true and everlasting peace, the goal Naruto has been striving for. While he is away training for all our sake I suggest we do to the same, we cannot afford staying stagnant when everyone around us is growing stronger and stronger by minute and by the day. This will be the war to end all wars, we cannot afford to lose this. This is do or die, everything in the world falls upon the shoulders of all us Kages. We cannot lose this, we cannot stagnate, and we cannot make mistakes. We need to show everyone the reason we are Kages. We have to win the war to end all wars" said Gaara as a fire lit up in his soul and in his eyes.

He stood in place of Naruto and he did his best to mimic the inspiration and the motivation Naruto distilled onto others. He still had a long way to go but he knew these were steps he had to take. He believed in every word he said, and he believed that Naruto was going to succeed in his training and that when he returned they were going to win. But until Naruto returned Gaara promised to do his best in filling his shoes for the meanwhile.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey everyone, sorry for the short chapter but it was in my plan and I couldn't think of any other way to extend it further. While I'm here I'd like everyone to know that if you checked my profile the winner of the poll was NaruSakuIno so I'll make a lemon about that later on in the story, it'll be more of a bonus fanservice chapter that won't really affect too much of the story so when it comes you guys could probably skip it without losing anything from the story's progression. Please like I said check out my profile and give my new stories a read I hope you guys like them as well I put a lot of effort into them, also keep an eye out for more new stories coming and even my first One Piece story, I'm really excited to work on that. Please continue supporting my work by giving my stories a favorite and a follow, also if you have any questions or suggestions feel free to leave a review or pm me. Thanks again everyone I hope you all enjoy this along with my stories both started and upcoming.


	22. Trust

The Rise of the Rokudaime Hokage

 **Author's Notice: Hey guys I'm back, first off thanks everyone for the continued support and for the patience. Also, I'd like to greet all of you an advanced Merry Christmas and New Year's, it's been a good year overall and you guys are honestly a big reason for it, and it is because of that I decided to get off my lazy ass and give my OG story a long overdue update.**

 **One of my biggest complaints in the Naruto series was Naruto and Kurama's relationship. I found that it evolved far too quick, at first they hated each other and now they were suddenly best friends out of nowhere with perfect combat chemistry. I decided to work on that and alter it, Naruto and Kurama aren't in the best of terms but eventually they'll make it but for now each side is hesitant in trusting the other and I think considering their pasts with each other it's only fair. I seriously dislike how everything past the Five Kage Summit was somewhat rushed, hell even how Naruto somehow seemingly mastered the Jinchuuriki mode out of nowhere. I plan on fixing both of those and also fixing Naruto's fighting style. I find that in the anime they spam Naruto's Shadow Clones, Kyuubi Chakra Mode and Rasengan and its variations far too much and so I plan on giving Naruto a more diverse fighting style so that he won't have to always solely rely on Kurama's chakra. Anyway, finished with my wee rant, hope you guys agree and like what I tweaked to fix that part.**

 **Also, before you guys get excited no this is not the fan service chapter. But speaking of, don't worry I didn't forget about the fan service chapter, to remind you guys it'll be a bonus chapter that will have NaruSakuIno. Some people are hesitant over it so let me tell you now it won't affect the story in any way it'll just be there as a filler. So, what I'm saying is when I eventually upload the chapter you guys don't necessarily need to read it unless you want to, it won't affect anything.**

 **Also guys please also check out Inari and the Legendary Three, both were updated today as well and I want to know what you guys think of my latest chapters. If you can please also check out the other stories in my profile. Thanks everyone.**

 **Of course, please favorite and follow my stories, I may have a few more stories I plan on starting soon and to be honest maybe one or two that may possibly be rewritten. But I won't delve on that for now, if you guys have any questions or suggestions feel free to leave a review or to send me a pm. Thanks everyone for the support and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Trust**

We find our hero Naruto sitting by the edge of a cliff overlooking the entire island, this was his favorite spot on the turtle island. Back in Konoha he'd sit by the Hokage's Monument usually by the head of the Yondaime, he loved to watch the village at night from his favorite vantage point. Of course, his usual spot wasn't around and so this would have to do for now.

Two years had long past since Naruto's training with Killer Bee had begun, since then Naruto had progressed tremendously under the tutelage of the much more experienced and accomplished Jinchuuriki. But it was mostly due to Naruto's persistence, determination, hard work, and his shadow clones that he managed to grow so much in the span of two years.

Naruto continued to watch the clouds and the endless seas from his vantage point but then something in the distance caught his attention, it appeared to be an ordinary bird at first. But then Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he realized it to be one of Sai's ink birds, he was surprised that the former ROOT operative had the ability to send messages from this far away. But then Naruto allowed the bird to land to his side before it delivered a scroll with a message. But upon accepting the scroll the ink bird vanished having completed its job.

The Hokage quickly opened the book and there his eyes widened in shock, the war had finally begun. It turns out that the Akatsuki forces had recently launched an attack at Kumogakure, thankfully they managed to repel the attacking forces but not before sustaining significant damage.

Naruto clenched his fist in anger, and upon reading the scroll he raced to his room in the island. He made it to his room in record time and there he quickly began to pack his things, Sakura soon arrived upon hearing the commotion and wondered what was going on.

"Are you alright Naruto? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Sakura-chan I got a message from Sai and we have to go now, the Akatsuki launched an attack at Kumo. I need to be there to help them fight them off" he said, Sakura tried to argue but before she could Killer Bee arrived with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face.

"You're not going anywhere Naruto" he said in a stern voice, Naruto stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to his fellow Jinchuuriki.

"And why not?" he asked as he glared at the Jinchuuriki.

"It's simple you're not ready yet. You're not leaving until I deem you ready" he said in finality.

Naruto clenched his jaw in anger and frustration, "Are you fucking mad? What do you mean I can't leave?" he yelled.

Sakura watched the argument not knowing what to do, instead she quickly walked over to Naruto to try calm him down. She could tell that he was beginning to lose his cool.

"Like I said you can't leave. I won't let you, unless of course you finish what we started here"

"Are you deaf Bee, the war has started. For Kami's sake the Akatsuki have seven of the nine tailed beasts at their disposal and our alliance has jack shit to fight against them. We may have manpower, but we have a serious lack in firepower" he argued passionately, "We need to head back and help them drive the Akatsuki away. You may not think I'm ready, but I know I am"

"You've yet to master Jinchuuriki mode and yet you claim to be ready. We are going to go up against some of the strongest ninjas and some of strongest creatures known to mankind. We are the biggest hope both the alliance has of winning, and we are also the biggest target of the Akatsuki. I don't need to tell you twice that if we are captured our enemies are one step closer to their end goal"

"There you said it yourself Bee, we are the biggest hope for the alliance and so we have to be there to back them up against these creatures and ninjas" he yelled.

"You misunderstood what I was saying Naruto. We are the biggest hope for the war and so because of that when we eventually join the war we must be ready and fully prepared. We cannot risk having us two participating just for the sake of it. They allowed us to join the war but only when we are ready, they trust in us so trust in them as well"

"I do trust them Bee, but I can't let them die. For Kami's sake Akatsuki attacked your home, they attacked Kumo and you plan on sitting here and training. We could have prevented it if we were there"

"Trust me Naruto I know, I want to go as much as you but I know we can't. We could have prevented the attack, but what if instead we got captured and what then? War over Naruto. Get it across your fucking head"

"Don't you fucking care for your fellow villagers, they were your friends and family and they died for us. Show some respect and…." But before Naruto could continue his rant Killer Bee closed the distance between them landing a powerful lightning enhanced punch straight to the blonde's gut.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence. Do not question the love and respect I have for my friends and fellow villagers. I respect them enough to stay here and make use of the time they bought for us. They died and sacrificed their lives for us, so that when the time comes we'd be ready to win the war"

Naruto nursed the spot he was punched in, Sakura ran over to him and began to heal Naruto entire gut from the devastating punch Bee landed. The blonde grit his teeth and glared at the Kumo ninja, but upon looking at his fellow Jinchuuriki Naruto was left in a state of shock.

Despite the harsh tone he could see that fresh tears were skimming down the large man's cheeks. He could tell just by looking at him that Bee was trying his best not to leave, he knew he wanted to leave just as much as he did and fight in the war to prevent the loss of more lives. But he could tell that Bee knew what he had to do, and for Naruto's case what he had to do as well.

"I've seen you fight in your Jinchuuriki form Naruto, you lack the chemistry, synchronization and the teamwork needed to succeed. Normally you should win against me seeing how me and Gyuki only hold eight tails compared to your nine. If I can defeat you in a fight, then that means you aren't fully ready yet. There is so much for you to continue to learn"

Naruto sighed to calm himself down before groggily standing up despite Sakura's insistence he laid down to nurse his bruises. The young blonde walked over to the Hachibi Jinchuuriki and extended his fist, Killer Bee saw this and the two bumped fists.

The young blonde had to concede to Bee's point he knew for a fact that he was lacking in his power and skill. He was sent here for a reason and before he could return he had to not only learn certain powers, but master them and only then could he partake in the war.

Despite finally learning of the Kyuubi's name both Naruto and Kurama still had a rather fractured relationship. Naruto knew something like this would take time, yes, they agreed to help each other out for their end goal but that didn't mean they were suddenly friends. Kurama still sees Naruto as his prison cell and of course he loathes the boy's father for sealing him away. Naruto on the other hand understandably dislikes Kurama, considering he was technically the reason he was orphaned and shunned by his village and peers.

But to fully progress to the next level Naruto knew he had to learn to trust Kurama and obviously with their current rocky relationship it would be difficult to trust one another, especially when Kurama has tried to trick Naruto numerous times in the past to release him from his seal.

Naruto and Kurama simply lacked trust, something Bee and Gyuki had an abundance of. The reason they had yet to win against the opposite Jinchuuriki pair was because neither the blonde or the fox could trust each other in a fight. One always had to be in control and both would fight over control to fight the battle the way that they would. With a lack of cohesive planning and motions it was no surprise they'd lose to a much more organized and cohesive unit in Bee and Gyuki.

He had been skeptical of his training thus far with Bee considering just how much he seemed to fall behind his mentor when it came to being a Jinchuuriki. But he knew something like this would take time, building chemistry, teamwork and trust takes time it wouldn't just naturally occur.

The young Hokage shook his head of these thoughts and walked back over to Sakura to get healed by his pink-haired girlfriend. As she began to heal him the young blonde decided to let go of his ego and apologize to his mentor. He knew he went overboard with his accusations and he knew he had to learn to keep his feelings in check.

"Sorry about my outburst Bee, I just want to be there so much. I want to help out, I feel useless being here instead of fighting"

Bee sighed before placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, "Trust me I want nothing more than to be there at Kumo to help my home repel those damn Akatsuki guys. But now we are more helpful here honing our skills and when the time comes we will be ready and we'll send Akatsuki back to hell where they belong" he replied with a smile causing the young Hokage to emit a small grin as well.

"I guess I'm really not ready just yet" he muttered to himself.

"At the moment no, but we will be. From now I believe its time we bumped your training up a bit. But for now, I know it sucks but trust in the alliance and trust in your friends. You can't be there to protect them all the time, for now it's their moment to protect us from Akatsuki. Learn to trust them and believe in them Naruto"

The Hokage nodded in understanding, "I will don't worry" he replied, "Now let's get this training over and done with. I want to be back kicking Akatsuki ass in no time"

Bee smiled at the newly fire in the boy's eyes, "Come on then Naruto, this time I won't be taking it easy on you. Today the real training begins"

* * *

 **With Sasuke**

The young Uchiha returned to the Akatsuki's base located in Amegakure, he had just come back from a mission to locate and assassinate a group of Konoha shinobi spying on the Akatsuki's forces within Ame. Despite the success of his mission he was careless and cocky, and as a result was left wounded with a small stab wound from a kunai on his left leg.

Upon arrival at the base he quickly made his way to his manor within the village and was attended to by his companion Karin. The redheaded woman noticed the wound on Sasuke's leg, it wasn't anything fatal, but it still looked relatively painful.

While tending to Sasuke's wounds Karin found the courage to ask him a question she had been dying to ask for a while now.

"Sasuke-kun, do you still dream about reviving your clan" she asked shyly as a blush as red as her hair adorned her cheeks.

The young Uchiha sat there silent for a few moments before nodding, "Of course" he replied.

Karin gulped then quickly finished off the last bits of stitching on Sasuke's leg, she then turned to face the raven-haired avenger before beginning to twiddle her fingers.

"Well then Sasuke-kun I think you should attend to it now just in case, after all the war is dangerous and who knows what could happen" she explained in a very meek tone.

Sasuke raised a single eyebrow, "And I expect you want to be the one I raise an heir with" he asked.

Karin's blush deepened further before she began to stutter and mumble her words, but before she could speak clearly Sasuke swooped in and kissed her causing her eyes to widen in shock. She didn't know what to do at first, shock had overcome her, but eventually she reciprocated the kiss. After a while Sasuke broke off the kiss much to Karin's disappointment but then he grabbed her hand and led her to his quarters.

* * *

 **Tetsu No Kuni**

The Five Kages gathered once more for yet another Five Kage Summit. It was meant to be a rather quick meeting seeing how it was called rather unexpectedly just recently by the Raikage.

"As you all know we were attacked again recently by the Akatsuki, we could say for sure that the war has truly begun. Unfortunately, as it seems the Akatsuki continue to have something up their sleeves. The Zetsu clones has been a major hindrance thus far" he said as the other Kages nodded in agreement.

"We have yet to be attacked fully by the Akatsuki, but we have noticed the large number of Zetsu clones they've produced. Not only that but my ninjas have been reported to have been attacked by some former Kumo Jonin. But what worries me is by the reports sent my way the Jonin squad that had attacked them had been identified and they appear to match deceased Kumo ninjas"

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock, "I think it may be the Edo Tensei" she replied before scowling, "This definitely makes things harder for us".

"Those cheeky bastards really are unpredictable" exclaimed Onoki.

"What are we going to do about the reanimated ninjas then? If we can't stop them we are severely disadvantages seeing how they can't be killed, and if they begin to reanimate former Kages we have much more to worry about that mere Bijuu" said the Mizukage.

"I suggest a sealing division, a team full of skilled Fuinjutsu experts seeing how seals are the only way of reversing reanimation jutsus" Gaara calmly explained.

"I agree with the Kazekage" replied the acting Hokage Tsunade, "But Fuinjutsu as of late has become somewhat of a dying art. Not too many ninjas nowadays practice the sealing arts, but I know for certain Naruto is quite knowledgeable in seals. After all he was trained by a former Fuinjutsu master in Jiraiya"

"Unfortunately, Naruto isn't here, but we can begin a Fuinjutsu division for now and maybe we'll be able to repel most of their revived forces for now at least"

"It'll have to do for now, at least put in further research into negating the reanimation jutsu, for now that's our best hope of stopping the reanimated ninjas" said the Mizukage.

"It's not as simple as putting a seal on them though, before you can do so you must have held them down and weakened the target enough for them to be able to return back to the afterlife, and with most of the ninjas they are reanimating being powerful ninjas in the past this will not be any easy feat. We'll still have to fight past Jonin, Kages and former S-Rank missing nin" explained Tsunade.

The other kages nodded in understanding, "This'll be a problem, if the Akatsuki manage to get their hands on the DNA samples of our greatest ninjas then we will be in a world of hurt. We may have to resort sending guards onto our graveyards, the easiest way I would say to gather DNA on past ninjas would be grave robbery. It seems the Akatsuki would stoop as low as defiling the graves of our heroes. They will pay for their disrespect" exclaimed the Raikage.

"I agree, if they get their hands on the DNA of our past ninjas this would only spell trouble. We're struggling enough with the Zetsu clones, imagine what would happen if you add the Bijuu and past Kages into the mix?" the Tsuchikage added on.

"A scary thought indeed, as the Raikage said previously we really must watch over any place that Akatsuki could acquire our ninja's DNA samples. If they can get a hold of it, it doesn't matter if it's a single strand of hair or a chip of their skin, that means they will be able to revive them no matter" said the Godaime Hokage

"I think we've delved enough into this topic, I'd like to ask if there has been any other advancements concerning our fight with the Akatsuki?" asked the young Kazekage.

"I do have some news" replied the sultry voice of the Mizukage, "It is unfortunate but recently there has been reports of Zetsu clones having the ability to disguise themselves as one of our own. Apparently other than a weaker form of Mokuton for combat, they are all given the ability to bloody transform into any physical appearance they want and as such I warn all of you to watch the ranks in your villages. For all we know there may be Zetsu clones going gathering information pretending to be a normal citizen, and none of us would have even known"

"Fuck, no matter how much progress we make that damned Akatsuki continue to have something up their sleeves" he yelled in frustration.

"What do you plan we do about this Mizukage-dono?" asked Gaara.

"I for one have started to form sensory groups and patrols around my village and bases, my sensory ninjas will sense any disturbances or suspicions and as such giving us a chance to neutralize the threats that may infiltrate our homes" she answered in a confident tone.

Onoki listened intently as he rubbed his chin, "I agree with that idea, I think it would be good if other than a Fuinjutsu team we also make sensory divisions in each village to go search and neutralize the possible Akatsuki infiltrations" he answered as the Mizukage gave him an appreciative nod.

"I think that is more than fair, we cannot allow any information leaking to our enemies"

'For Kami's sake this is getting more and more stressful, I wonder when the gaki will come back?' Tsunade thought to herself as the Kage Summit carried on. After the plans made about the Zetsu Clones and Edo Tensei the meeting took a turn towards defense strategies on where to place small ambush spots and where to set base.

* * *

 **Naruto's Mindscape**

The young blonde stood there in front of the Kyuubi, but this time Naruto was unfazed no longer was he scared of this gigantic creature of destruction.

" **I don't know why you keep insisting on visiting me here gaki, to be honest you just keep bugging in on my precious napping time"**

"Frankly I couldn't give two shits about you and your nap but you know why I'm here, you overheard my talk with Bee a few days ago we need to actually work together if we both really want to kick that Madara's ass" he said as he earned a scowl from the fox, "You can't just give me your chakra and do nothing else, and you can't just give me your chakra then decide to take over when you're bored. We need to be a cohesive unit and we need to actually work together when we fight"

" **Listen kid I'll be honest with you, I'll kill you right now if I could, but I know I need you to kill Madara. But don't expect me to suddenly be buddy-buddy with you, you're lucky as is that you're getting my chakra. Anyone else they'd be dead a long time ago"** the fox replied in a cocky tone.

"Shut up, don't you remember I kicked your ass last time we fought. You don't stand a chance against me anymore now that I have my Sage Mode"

" **Don't be cocky you little shit, you took me by surprise. Trust me if I really tried you wouldn't stand a fucking chance"** Kurama roared in reply, **"There's a reason why I'm the strongest of the tailed beasts. Don't test me brat because I might just live up to my threat of killing you"**

"See this is why we never get shit done, yeah sure I can use your chakra as a cloak and whatnot, but we struggle when we try our Jinchuuriki mode. We can't last too long in that form; our fighting style is all over the place and we could barely agree on anything. You say all this shit about you being the baddest thing in the planet and the strongest tailed beast, but news flash Kurama we've been getting our asses kicked by Gyuki, your brother and not to mention he has one less tail than you"

The Kyuubi bared its fangs on Naruto, **"Listen here brat the only reason they've been winning is because you have no idea how to properly use my power. You're wasting it, if you give it to me I'll destroy that stupid octopus and that stupid rapper"** he replied in anger.

"You're still missing the plot, you need to start trusting me and as much of a pain in the ass it is, I'll need to start trusting you as well no matter how much you piss me off"

" **Like I said brat no way in hell we're getting all buddy-buddy like those two idiots training you"**

"Well we won't go anywhere with that shitty attitude of yours. Give this a chance Kurama maybe just maybe you might eat your words I'm sure it can be a bit lonely here" he said urging the Bijuu.

Kurama merely burst out in laugher, **"Even now you still remain the optimistic fool, try all you want gaki, but you'll only waste your time"** he replied.

Naruto sighed, 'This damn stubborn fox' he thought to himself before deciding to leave from his mindscape.

" **What leaving already? I told you that you were wasting your time, you only proved me right you fool" laughed the fox.**

"I'll be back Kurama it may take days, weeks, months hell even years but I'll get you to open up eventually. I don't know why you remain so stubborn, I don't what's happened in your life, but I'll find out and I'll get you to finally open up to others. I just need to get your ugly face out of your ass. One day Kurama I'll earn your trust, and maybe one day even your friendship" he said with a grin causing the fox to scowl.

But before Kurama could reply Naruto left, the fox couldn't help but sigh at the insistence of the Rokudaime Hokage.

" **Why do you keep trying gaki? It's far too late for the likes of me"** sighed the fox.

* * *

 **Author's Notice**

Well here you go guys my latest chapter. Like I said I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year and also, I hope you guys liked my latest updates. Be sure to check out my other stories since a few others were updated as well. Anyway, thanks again everyone for the support, please favorite and follow my story. Feel free to leave a review or send me a pm if you liked the story, disliked the story, or even if you have any suggestions or criticisms. Thanks everyone and merry Christmas.


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